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JOHN'S  GOSPEL 


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JOHN'S  GOSPEL 


The  Greatest  Book  in  the  World 


Suggestions  for  the  Study  of  the  Gospel 


by  Individuals  and  in  Gro^^g^^  OF  r H  /^^^ 


BY 


,  FEB  10  1948   , 


ROBERT   E.  SPEER 


^filC*L  8t>^^ 


New  York 


Chicago 


Toronto 


Fleming  H.   Revell  Company 

London     and     £dinbi/rgh 


Copyright,  191 5,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

The  Bible  text  used  in  this  volume  is  taken  from 
the  American  Standard  Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible, 
copyright,  1901,  by  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons,  and  is 
used  by  permission. 


New  York  :  1 58  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  125  North  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London  :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh  :     100    Princess    Street 


PREFACE 

Tms  little  book  aims  to  be  a  help  to  the  study  of  the 
Gospel  of  John.  It  endeavors  to  combine  two  things,  a 
study  of  the  Gospel  as  a  drama  of  unfolding  faith  and 
unbelief  and  a  personal  meditation  on  its  spiritual  lessons 
for  life.  After  two  or  three  introductory  questions  and 
an  outline  of  the  argument  of  the  Gospel,  the  text  is  taken 
up  section  by  section.  These  sections  are  numbered. 
There  are  one  hundred  in  all.  If  a  class  desires  to  cover 
the  book  in  ten  lessons,  each  lesson  should  cover  approx- 
imately ten  sections;  if  in  twenty  lessons,  each  should  cover 
five;   li  in  fifty  lessons,  each  lesson  should  cover  two. 

In  each  section  the  text  of  the  American  Standard 
Revised  version  is  given  first,  then  some  suggestive  com- 
ment which  should  be  enlarged  and]  supplemented,  and 
then  follow  some  questions  for  personal  reflection  and  for 
discussion  in  the  class.  These  questions  are  not  at  all 
meant  to  be  exhaustive.  They  are  merely  suggestive,  i. 
The  student  should  master  the  content  of  each  paragraph 
of  the  Gospel  so  that  at  the  end  he  can  review  in  his 
memory  the  whole  story  of  the  Gospel.  To  this  end 
each  lesson  should  include  a  quick  review  of  the  sub- 
stance of  the  Gospel  from  the  beginning.  2.  Each  section 
should  be  viewed  and  grasped  in  its  relation  to  the  whole 
scheme  and  argument  of  the  Gospel.  The  student  should 
refer  constantly  to  the  analysis  of  the  Gospel  on  pages 
19-22,  and  to  the  fuller  analysis  of  each  section  on  the 
half-title  pages  preceding  it.  3.  The  lessons  of  each  section 
should  be  taken  home  into  our  hearts. 

The  two  best  books  on  the  Gospel  from  which  help 
has  been  constantly  drawn  and  freely  used  are  Westcott's 
Commentary  on  the  Gospel  of  John  and  Dods*  volumes 
on  John  in  the  Expositor's  Bible. 

All  references,  except  where  otherwise  indicated,  are 
to  the  Gospel  of  John.    In  the  Bible  text  the  exact  typog- 

5 


6  PREFACE 

raphy  of  the  American  Standard  Revised  is  preserved. 
Elsewhere  the  divine  pronouns  are  capitalized  and  chapter 
numbers  are  given  in  the  Arabic  form. 

In  the  two  preliminary  chapters  on  authorship  and  the 
author  the  statement  is  made  in  as  bold  and  abbreviated 
form  as  possible.  This  is  done  intentionally  in  the  hope  of 
stimulating  the  investigation  and  discussion  of  the  class. 
These  chapters  are  in  the  main  simply  condensations  from 
Westcott's  Commentary.  It  is  not  pretended  that  these 
questions  do  not  involve  difficulties.  It  is  believed  that 
the  difficulties  are  least  in  the  way  of  accepting  the  tra- 
ditional conviction  of  the  Church. 

It  need  only  be  added  that  this  httle  book  springs  from 
the  unreserved  and  joyful  acceptance  of  John's  belief 
"  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,"  and  that  its 
humble  hope  is  the  same  as  John's,  that  others  also  may 
beheve.     (John  xx,  31.) 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Authorship — Who  Wrote  the  Fourth  Gospel? 9 


The  Author — Who  was  John? 14 

The  Author's  Purpose  and  Plan 17 

The  Plot  of  the  Argument 19 

The  Prologue.     Ch.  i,  1-18 23 

The  Proclamation.     Chaps,  i,  19-iv 27 

The  Conflict.     Chaps,  v-xii 55 

The  Prelude.     Chaps,  v,  vi 57 

The  Great  Controversy.     Chaps,  vii-xii 81 

The  Consimimation  of  Faith  and  Unbelief .     Chaps,  xiii-xx,    129 

The  Enthronement  of  Faith.     Chaps,  xiii-xvii 131 

The  Victory  and  the  Defeat  of  Unbelief.     Chaps,  xviii-xx .   163 


Epilogue,    xxi 197 

7 


JOHN'S  GOSPEL 


AUTHORSHIP— WHO  WROTE  THE  FOURTH 
GOSPEL? 

Why  do  we  believe  that  the  fourth  Gospel  was  written 
by  the  Apostle  John?  Because  the  reasons  for  this  belief 
are  satisfactory.  It  is  in  accordance  with  the  universal 
tradition  of  the  early  Church  and  it  is  supported  by  the 
internal  evidence  of  the  Gospel  itself.  We  can  examine 
this  internal  evidence  for  ourselves.  It  shows 
I.  That  the  writer  was  a  Jew. 

a.  His  familiarity  with 

(i)  Prevalent  Messianic  conceptions, 
i,  21 ;  iv,  25;  vi,  14  f;  vii,  40  f;  xii,  34. 

(2)  Jewish  notions. 

iv,  9,  27;  vii,  15,  35,  49;  ix,  2. 

(3)  Details  of  Jewish  observance, 
vii,  22,  37,  38;  xviii,  28. 
Domestic  life,  ii,  i-io  ,  v,  6. 
Burial  of  Lazarus,  xi,  17-44. 

b.  Form  of  narrative. 

Style.    Vocabulary.     Imagery.     Symbolism. 
C.  The  Old  Testament  the  source  of  the  writer's  religious 
life, 
(i)  Jewish  opinions  and  faith. 
Judea  the  home  of  the  Word  and  the  people  His 
people,  i,  II. 
The  law  the  Jews'  property,  viii,  17;  x,  34. 

Reverence  for  it,  x,  35;  vi,  45;  v,  46. 
^Old  Testament  types. 

iii,  14;  vi,  32;  vii,  37;  viii,  12. 
Even  xiii,  18  and  xv,  25  only  fulfillings  of  the 
Old  Testament. 
^^2)  In  speaking  for  himself  he  shows  the  same  faith 
in  the  Old  Testament,  ii,  17;  xii,  14,  37. 
So  special  incidents  of  the  Passion. 
xix,   23,   28,  36,  37.     All  these  grounds  of 
iaith,  xix,  35. 

.9 


10  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

d.  The  writer's  vivid  portraiture  of  the  people. 
The  Jews.     Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 
The  chief  priests. 

Plotted  the  murder  of  Lazarus,  xii,  lo. 

xviii,  35,  xix,  6,  15,  21. 

2.  That  he  was  a  native  of  Palestine. 

0.  Local  knowledge. 
Palestine. 

Cana  of  Galilee,  ii,  r,  11;  iv,  46;  xxi,  2. 

Bethany  beyond  Jordan,  i,  28;    a  place  already 
forgotten  in  the  time  of  Origen. 

Bethany  near  Jerusalem,  15  furlongs,  xi,  18. 

Ephraim,  xi,  54.    Aenon  near  Salem,  iii,  23. 

Size  of  Tiberias,  vi,  19  f.;  Mark  vi,  47. 

"Went  down"  from  Cana  to  Capernaum,  ii,  12. 
Jerusalem — all  peculiar  to  this  Gospel. 

Pool  of  Bethesda,  v,  2.     Pool  of  Siloam,  ix,  7. 

Brook  Kidron,  xviii,  i.    Pavement,  xix,  13. 

Golgotha  nigh  the  city,  xix,  1 7.    Garden,  xix,  20, 41. 
The  Temple. 

Forty  and  six  years  in  building,  ii,  20. 

Feast  of  Tabernacles,  vii,  viii.  Water.  Night  lamps. 

In  the  Treasury,  viii,  20.     Great  candelabra. 

Solomon's  Porch,  x,  22. 

The  great  vine,  xv,  i. 

b.  Quotations  from  the  Old  Testament  suggest  that  the 
writer  was  independent  of  the  Septuagint  and  ac- 
quainted with  the  Hebrew. 

3.  That  he  was  an  eye  witness. 

a.  Persons  portrayed. 

Momentous  questions  connected  with  individuals. 
Philip — Whence  shall  we  buy  bread?   vi,  5,   7; 

cf.  Matt,  xiv,  14. 
Greeks  and  Philip,  xii,  21. 
Thomas,  "Lord,  we  know  not,"  xiv,  8. 
Philip,  "Show  us  the  Father,"  xiv,  8. 
Judas,  not  Iscariot,  *'  How  is  it?"  xiv,  22. 
The  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  xiii,  25;  xxi,  20. 
^    Only  here 

Nicodemus,  iii,  i;  vii,  50;  xix,  39. 

Lazarus,  xi,  i;  xii,  i. 

Simon,  father  of  Judas  Iscariot,  vi,  71;    xii,  4; 

xiii,  2,  26. 
Malchus,  xviii,  10.    His  kinsman,  xviii,  26. 
Annas — Caiaphas'  father-in-law,  xviii,  13. 


WHO  WROTE  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL?  11 

b.  Details  of  time. 

Greater  seasons  not  in  synoptics. 

First  Passover,  ii,  13,  23. 

Feast  of  New  Year,  v,  i. 

Second  Passover,  vi,  4. 

Feast  of  Tabernacles,  vii,  2. 

Feast  of  Dedication,  x,  22. 
Minuter  times. 

Two  marked  weeks  at  beginning  and  end  of 
ministry,  i,  29,  35,  43;  ii,  i.  xii,  i,  12  (xiii,  i), 
xix,  31;  XX,  I. 

Week  of  the  Resurrection,  xx,  26. 

Enumeration  of  the  days  before  raising  Lazarus,  xi, 

6,  17,  39. 
Duration  of  his  stay  in  Samaria,  iv,    40,  43  f ; 
vi,  22;  vii,  14,  37. 
Even  time  in  the  day. 
i,  40;   iv,  6;   xix,  14;   iv,  52;   xiii,  30;    xviii,  28; 
xxi,  4;  XX,  I ;  vi,  16;  xx,  19;  iii,  2. 

c.  Details  of  number. 

Two  disciples  of  John,  i,  35. 

Five  and  twenty  furlongs,  vi,  19. 

Two  hundred  cubits,  xxi,  8. 

One  hundred  and  fifty-three  fishes,  xxi,  11. 

Thirty-eight  years  of  sickness,  v,  5. 

One  hundred  pounds,  xix,  39. 

Six  pots,  ii,  6. 

Four  soldiers,  xix,  23;  cf.  Acts  xii,  4. 

Five  husbands,  iv,  18. 

Three  hundred  pence,  xii,  5.    Cf.  Mark  xiv,  5, 

d.  Details  of  place — minuteness. 

i,  28;  iii,  23;  iv,  46;  V,  2;  x,  40;  xi,  30,  54,  56. 
So  He  spoke,  vi,  59;  viii,  20;  x,  23;  xviii. 

e.  Details  of  manner. 

Calling  of  the  first  apostles,  i,  35,  51. 

Boats  from  Tiberias. 

Foot  washing,  xiii,  1-20. 

Scene  at  the  High  Priest's  court,  jcviii,  15-27. 

Draught  of  fishes,  xxi,  1-14. 

Andrew  finding  Simon,  first,  i,  41. 

Or  particularly,  xiii,  24;  xviii,  6;  xix,  5;  xxi,  20. 

Barley  loaves,  vi,  9. 

Mary  fell  at  His  feet,  xi,  32. 

Night  when  Judas  went  out,  xiii,  30. 


12  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

Roman  soldiers  with  Judas,  xviii,  3. 
Peter  grieved,  xxi,  17. 
Ointment  odor  filled  house,  xii,  3. 
Palm  trees  by  the  roadside,  xii,  13. 
Seamless  tunic  of  Christ,  xix,  23. 
Napkin  in  the  tomb,  xx,  7. 

4.  That  he  was  an  apostle. 

a.  In  general. 

Call  of  the  first  disciples,  i,  19-34. 
Journey  through  Samaria,  iv. 
Successive  visits  to  Jerusalem,  vii,  ix,  xi, 

b.  Knows  feeling  of  the  disciples. 

Believed  on  Him  at  Cana,  ii,  11. 
Remembered  Psa.  Ixix,  9;  ii,  17. 
The  Resurrection  strengthened  their  faith,  ii,  22. 
Note  iv,  27;  vi,  19,  40;  xii,  16;  xiii,  22,  28;  xxi,  12; 
cf.  Luke  xxiv,  8;  Matt,  xxvi,  75. 

c.  Recalls  words  spoken  among  themselves. 

After  Sychar  incident,  iv,  33. 
xvi,  17;  xx,  25;  xxi,  3,  5. 

d.  Recalls  words  spoken  to  the  Lord. 

"Master,  eat,"  iv,  31;  ix,  2;  xi,  8,  12;  xvi,  29. 

e.  Familiar  with  the  disciples'  place  of  resort. 

At  Ephraim,  xi,  54.     Garden,  xviii,  2;  xx,  19. 

/.  Knows  of  erroneous  impressions  received  by  them  and 
afterwards  corrected. 
Temple  of  His  body,  ii,  21,  22. 
xi,  13;  xii,  16;  XX,  9;  xiii,  28;  xxi,  4. 

g.  Stood  very  near  the  Lord. 

He  was  aware  of  His  emotions,  xi,  33]  xiii,  21. 
Knew  the  grounds  of  His  action. 

"When  He  knew  that  the  Pharisees,"  iv,  i. 
ii,  24;  vi,  15;  V,  6;  vii,  i;  xvi,  19. 
h.  The  mind  of  the  Lord  laid  open  to  him. 
Trying  Philip,  vi,  6. 
Knew  murmurings  of  disciples,  vi,  61. 
vi,  64;  xiii,  I,  3,  11;  xviii,  4;  xix,  28. 

;  $.  That  he  was  the  Apostle  John. 

\  a.  One  who  entered  most  deeply  into  the  Lord's  life. 

The  epilogue  assigns  the  book  to  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,  xxi,  24. 
xiii,  23;  xix,  26;  XX,  2;  xxi,  7,  20;     In  xx,  2. 


WHO  WROTE  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL?  13 

b.  Known  to  the  High  Priest,  xviii,  15. 

c.  Closely  related  to  Peter. 

xiii,  24;  XX,  2;  xxi,  7;  xviii,  15. 

d.  In  xxi,  2  he  must  have  been  one  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee 

or  of  the  two  undefined  ones. 

e.  In  Synoptists. 

,4^  Peter  and  James  and  John  closest. 

Not  Peter,  not  James  (Acts,  xii,  2),  therefore  John. 

The  only  place  in  the  history  for  John. 

/.   i,  41.     "And  findeth  his  brother."    The  other  disciple 

presumably    found     his,    too.     xxi,    2     shows    that 

this  other  pair  were  Zebedee's  sons.     So  John  was 

the  unnamed  one. 

g.  Confirmed  by  the  Evangelist's  particularity  in  defining 

names. 
Simon  after  his  call  is  always  Peter  or  Simon  Peter. 
Thomas,  three  out  of  four  times,  is  Did3anus,  xi, 

16;  XX,  24;  xxi,  2. 
Judas  Iscariot  is  the  son  of   Simon,  vi,  71;    xii,  4; 

xiii,  2,  26. 
Other  Judas,  xiv,  22. 
Nicodemus,  xix,  39. 
And  yet  he  never  says  John  the  Baptist,  but  simply 

"John," 
and  by  his  modesty 

Does  not  give   Salome,   wife'"of  Zebedee,  xix,   25; 

cf.  Matt,  xxvii,  56,  nor  the  name  of  James,  xxi, 

2,  nor  of  the  mother  of  Jesus. 
Gives  Peter  the  first  place. 

i,  42;   vi,  68;   xiii,  6;  xviii,  10,  16;  xx,  2,  6;  xxi, 
3,  7,  II,  15- 

/And  all  this  indirect  evidence  is  supported  by  the  direct  evi- 
dence of  these  passages: 

1.  John  i,  14;  cf.  I  John  i,  i. 

2.  John  xix,  35  f. 

3.  John  xxi,  24. 

The  evidence  of  primitive  Christian  tradition  is  heavy  and 
unbroken,  beginning  with  Theophilus,  181  a.d.,  who  wrote, 
"The  Holy  Scriptures  teach  us  and  all  the  inspired  men,  one 
of  whom,  John  saith,  *In  the  beginning,  etc.'"  This  is  the  first 
quotation  of  the  Gospel  by  name,  but  not  the  first  reference  to  it. 
There  is  a  mass  of  such  references.  The  voice  of  the  Church 
confirms  the  clear  testimony  of  the  Gospel  to  its  own  authority. 
It  is  easier  to  believe  that  John  wrote  the  book  than  to  account 
for  the  book  as  any  other  man's  production. 


( 


14  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 


THE  AUTHOR— WHO  WAS  JOHN? 

1.  The  son  of  Zebedee  and  Salome. 

Matt,  xxvii,  56;  Mk.  xv,  40;  xvi,  i;  Jno.  xix,  25. 

The  younger  son,  Matt,  iv,  21;  Mark  i,  19;  Luke  v,  10. 

James  the  Martyr  his  brother,  Mk.  iii,  17;  Acts  rii,  i,  2. 

2.  His  mother  was  Mary's  sister,  xix,  25. 

3.  His  father  was  a  fisherman  of  Bethsaida,  i,  37,  40;  probably 

of  considerable  means. 

a.  The  hired  servants,  Mk.  i,  20. 

b.  His  mother's  substance,  Mk.  xv,  40;  Luke  viii,  3. 

c.  John's  own  house,  xix,  27. 

d.  He  knew  the  High  Priest — or  John  did. 
John  too  was  a  fisherman  until  his  call. 

4.  He  was  a  Galilean. 

Like  all  the  Apostles  save  Judas. 

The  Galileans  free,  simple,  open,  strong,  vii,  52;    vi,  14; 

Acts  V,  37. 
He  did  not  lack  the  ardor  of  the  Galilean  temper,  iv,  45. 

a.  Surname,  Boanerges,  Mk.  iii,  17. 

"Sons  of  thunder" — in  Hebrew  idiom  thunder  is  the 
"voice  of  God." 

6.  This  character  shown  in  his  sayings. 

Luke  ix,  49;  Mk.  ix,  38;  cf.  Num.  xi,  28;  Luke  ix,  54. 

c.  Never  lost  this  strength  and  forcefulness. 

Breathes  through  Apocalypse,  "How  long?"     Rev. 

vi,  10. 
Nowhere  is  error  as  to  Christ's  person  more  strongly 

denounced  than  in  his  Epistles,  II  John  10;  I  John 

iv,  I  ff. 

d.  Ambitious  in  spirit. 

His  mother's  request.  Matt.  xx.  20  f .    Mk.  x,  35. 
Why  did  Salome  ask  it? 
Granted  really,  xix,  25  fif. 

5.  He  was  the  lad  among  the  Apostles. 

a.  John  xxi  declares  that  he  was  to  outlive  Peter. 

b.  James  and  John.    Then  Peter  and  John.     Peter  was 

the  spokesman  before  the  Sanhedrin. 


WHO  WAS  JOHN?  15 

c.  No  jealousy  of  him  at  the  supper  table.    There  was 

jealousy  of  James  and  John  together  when  Salome 
made  her  request. 

d.  Passed  unchallenged  in  the  High  Priest's  house. 

«.  Outran  Peter  to  the  sepulchre,  but  halted  at  the  door, 
like  a  boy,  till  Peter  went  in. 

/.  In  John  xxi,  Peter  asks  not  "What  is  this  man  to  do?'« 
but  "What  is  this  one,"  the  boy  following  Peter  and 
Jesus. 

6.  "The  one  whom  Jesus  loved." 

xix,  26,  27;  xiii,  23;  xxi,  20. 
He  dwelt  in  the  closer  relationship. 

Luke  viii,  51;  ix,  28;  Mk.  xiv,  33. 
He  followed  Christ  to  judgment  and  to  death, 

xviii,  15;  xix,  26. 
And  to  him  was  entrusted  Jesus*  mother,  xix,  27. 

7.  He  stood  next  to  Peter  in  the  early  Church. 

Acts  iii,  1-8,  25;  i,  13;  viii,  14. 
Absent  from  Jerusalem  at  Paul's  first  visit.  Gal.  i,  18. 
Later,  Paul  describes  him,  as  Gal.  ii,  9  sets  forth, — 

"One  of  the  pillars."    This  was  fifteen  years  later. 

At  the  council  of  Jerusalem,  a.d.  50.    Acts,  xv  4,  22. 

8.  In  Rev.  i,  9  speaks  of  himself  as  banished  to  Patmos. 

9.  All  else  is  tradition.     It  shows  him  in  the  same  character. 

a.  It  is  related  that  he  refused  to  remain  under  the  same 

roof  with  Cerinthus,  who  denied  the  Incarnation. 
"Let  us  fly,"  he  said,  "lest  the  bath  fall  upon  us. 
Since  within  is  Cerinthus,  the  enemy  of  the  truth."  j 

b.  He  is  described  as  wearing  the  plate  prescribed  by 

law  for  the  High  Priest.    Ex.  xxxix,  30  f. 

c.  Jerome.     "When  he  tarried  at  Ephesus  to  extreme 

old  age  and  could  only  with  difl&culty  be  carried 
to  the  church  in  the  arms  of  his  disciples  and  was 
unable  to  give  utterance  to  many  words,  he  used 
to  say  no  more  at  their  several  meetings,  than  this, 
'Little  children,  love  one  suaother.'  At  length  the 
disciples  and  fathers  who  were  there,  wearied  with 
hearing  always  the  same  words,  said,  'Master, 
why  dost  thou  always  say  this?'  'It  is  the  Lord's 
command,'  was  the  reply,  'and  if  this  alone  be 
done,  it  is  enough!'  " 


Id  •  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

10.  All  this  is  legendary,  but  his  stay  at  Ephesus  after  the  final' 

departure  of  Paul  till  the  end  of  the  century,  was  attested. 
His  death  stories  all  traditional.  So  also  the  story  of 
the  waving  grass  on  the  grave. 

11.  He  was  well  qualified  by  his  life  and  by  his  association  with 

Mary  in  his  home  to  write  the  Gospel.  He  had  the 
advantage  of  all  he  knew,  of  all  she  knew  and  of  the 
flood  of  light  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  threw  on  the 
life  and  teaching  of  Jesus. 

"The  central  characteristic  of  his  nature  is  intensity  of 
thought,  word,  insight,  life.  He  regards  everything  on 
its  divine  side.  For  him  the  eternal  is  already.  All 
is  complete  from  the  beginning,  though  wrought  out 
step  by  step  upon  the  stage  of  human  action.  All  is 
absolute  in  itself,  though  marred  by  the  weakness  of 
believers.  He  sees  the  past  and  the  present  gathered 
up  in  the  manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God.  This  was 
the  one  fact  in  which  the  hope  of  the  world  lay,  of  this 
he  had  himself  been  assured  by  evidence  of  sense  and 
thought.  This  he  was  constrained  to  proclaim,  'we 
have  seen  and  do  testify.'  He  had  no  labored  process 
to  go  through.  He  saw.  He  had  no  constructive 
process  to  develop;  he  bore  witness.  His  source  of 
knowledge  was  direct  and  his  mode  of  bringing  con- 
viction was  to  afl5rm." — Westcott. 

He  had  seen  and  pondered  long  over  it  all,  and 

"Much  that  at  first,  in  deed  and  word 
Was  simply  and  sufficiently  expressed. 
Had  grown  (or  else  my  soul  was  grown  to  match, 
Fed  through  such  years,  familiar  with  such  light. 
Guarded  and  guided  still  to  see  and  speak) 
Of  new  significance  and  fresh  result: 
What  first  were  guessed  as  points  I  now  knew  stars 
And  named  them  in  the  Gospel  I  have  writ." — Browning. 


THE  AUTHOR'S  PURPOSE  AND  PLAN  17 


THE  AUTHOR'S  PURPOSE  AND  PLAN 

John  wrote  his  Gospel,  we  may  believe,  toward  the  close 
of  the  first  century,  and  for  a  definite  avowed  purpose. 
This  explains  much  of  the  difference  between  it  and  the 
first  three  Gospels,  e.g.,  the  omission  of  prophecies  and 
judgments  which  had  been  in  part  fulfilled  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  the  development  of  the  aspects  and 
meanings  of  Christ's  teachings  which  had  only  emerged 
as  the  Church  developed  and  new  spiritual  and  intellectual 
problems  had  dawned,  the  necessity  of  setting  in  rela- 
tion to  all  life  truths  before  seen  in  their  local  apphcation, 
and  of  interpreting  the  historic  development  of  Jewish 
antagonism  and  apostolic  trust  in  terms  of  the  eternal 
struggle  between  faith  and  unbelief. 

John  distinctly  states  what  his  object  was,  xx,  30  f, 
and  the  object  determines  his  plan.  "This  is,"  says 
Westcott,  "  to  express  it  as  briefly  as  possible,  the  parallel 
development  of  faith  and  unbelief  through  the  historical 
presence  of  Christ.  The  EvangeHst  is  guided  in  the 
selection,  and  in  the  arrangement,  and  in  the  treatment 
of  his  materials  by  his  desire  to  fulfill  this  purpose.  He 
takes  a  few  out  of  the  vast  mass  of  facts  at  his  disposal 
(xxi,  25;  XX,  30),  which  are  in  his  judgment  suited  to 
produce  a  particular  effect.  Every  part  of  his  narrative  is 
referred  to  one  final  truth  made  clear  by  experience,  that 
'Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God.'  He  makes  no 
promise  to  compose  a  life  of  Christ,  or  to  give  a  general 
view  of  His  teaching,  or  to  preserve  a  lively  picture  of  the 
general  effect  which  He  produced  on  average  observers,  or 
to  compose  a  chapter  on  the  general  history  of  his  own 
times,  or  to  add  his  personal  recollections  to  memoirs  of 
the  Lord  already  current;  nor  have  we  any  right  to 
judge  his  narrative  by  the  standard  which  would  be  appli- 
cable to  any  one  of  such  writings.  He  works  out  his  own 
design." 

The  chronological  unfolding  of  the  story  can  be  traced 
by  keeping  the  following  events  in  mind: 


18  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

Early  spring:  the  calling  of  the  first  disciples,  i,  19-ii,  11. 

First  Passover  (April),  ii,  13-iii,  21;  iii,  22-iv,  54. 

The  Feast  of  the  New  Year  (September),  v. 

Second  Passover  (April),  vi. 

The  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (October),  vii,  viii.  j 

The  Feast  of  Dedication  (December),  ix,  x,  xi,  xU. 

Third  Passover  (April),  xiii-xx. 

"And  many  other  signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence  of  His 
disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this  book : 

"But  these  are  written  that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God;  and  that  believing  ye  might 
have  life  through  His  Name."    John  xx,  30,  31. 


THE  TLOT  OF  THE  ARGUMENT  19 


THE  PLOT  OF  THE  ARGUMENT 

ANALYSIS  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

(Mainly  according  to  Westcott) 

PAGB 

Prologue,    i,  1-18 23 

I.  The  Proclamation,    i,  19-iv 27 

A.  The  introductory  testimony  to  Christ,    i,  19-ii,  12 29 

1.  Of  the  Baptist,  i,  19-36 29 

2.  Of  the  disciples,  i,  37-51 32 

3.  Of  signs.    The  water  made  wine,  ii,  i-ii 35 

B.  The  introductory  work  of  Christ,    ii,  13-iv,  54 38 

1.  In  Judea.     Nicodemus,  ii,  13-iii,  36 38 

2.  In  Samaria.    The  woman  by  Jacob's  well,  iv,  1-42.  47 

3.  In  GaUlee,  iv,  43-54 51 

II.  The  Conflict,    v-xii 53 

A.  The  Prelude,    v,  vi 55 

1.  In  Jerusalem,    v 55 

a.  The  sign.     The  healing  at  Bethesda,  v,  1-9.  55 

6.  The  sequel  of  the  sign,  v,  10-16 56 

c.  The  discourse  on  the  Son  as  the  source  of 

life.    The  Son  and  the  Father,    v,  17-47.  58 

2.  In  Galilee,     vi 61 

o.  The  signs.    The  feeding  of  the  five  thousand, 

and  walking  on  the  sea.     vi,  1-21 61 

h.  The  sequel  of  the  two  signs,     vi,  22-25 65 

c.  The  discourse  on  the  Son  as  the  source  and 

guide  of  life.  The  Son  and  man.   vi,  26-59.  66 

d.  The  issue,     vi,  60-71 72 

B.  The  Great  Controversy,    vii-xii 75 

I.  The  full  unveiling  of  faith  and  unbelief  at  Jeru- 
salem,    vii-x 79 


20  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 


PAGE 

a.  The  Feast  of  Tabernacles,    vii,  viii 79 

1.  The  circumstances  of   the  visit,    vii, 

1-13 79 

2.  The  discussions   in  the  midst  of  the 

feast,    vii,  14-36 81 

3.  The  discussions  on  the  last  day  of  the 

feast,    vii,  37-52 85 

4.  The   story   of   the   woman   taken   in 

adultery,    viii,  i-ii 88 

5.  Jesus    further    reveals  Himself,    viii, 

12-20 90 

6.  The  spiritual  crisis  in  the  preaching 

to  Israel,    viii,  21-50 92 

1.  The  clear  statement  of  the  object 

of  faith  and  the  results  of  im- 
belief.    viii,  21-30 92 

2.  Analysis   of    the    character   and 

issues  of  selfish  belief  and  false 
Judaism,     viii,  31-59 93 

b.  The  Feast  of  Dedication.    The  separation 

accomplished,     ix,  x 99 

1.  The  sign.    The  healing  of  the  blind 

man.    ix,  i-i  2 99 

2.  The  judgments  on  the  sign,    ix,  13-34.  loi 

3.  The   beginning   of    the   new   society. 

ix,  35-41 104 

4.  The    character    of    the    new    society. 

X,  1-21 105 

5.  Christ's  final  public  testimony  to  Him- 

self before  the  Passion,     x,  22-38.. .   108 

6.  The  diverse  results,    x,  39-42 no 

2.  The  decisive  judgment,    xi,  xii 112 

a.  The  final  sign  and  its  result.    Lazarus,    xi.  112 

b.  The  close  of   Christ's  public  ministry  in 

judgment,    xii 119 

1.  The  feast  at  Bethany,     xii,  i-ii 119 

2.  The  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem. 

xii,  12-19 121 

3.  The  request  of  the  Gr'^eis,  the   voice 

from  heaven,  and  the  final  warning, 

xii,  20-36 1 23 

4.  The  judgment  of  John,     xii,  37-43 125 

5.  The  judgment  of  Christ,    xii,  44-50.. .  127 


THE  PLOT  OF  THE  ARGUMENT  21 

PAGE 

III.  The  Consummation  OF  Faith  AND  Unbelief,    xiii-xx.  129 

A.  The  enthronement  of  faith  through  the  last  ministry 
of  love  and  the  self-revelations  of  Light  and  Life, 
xiii-xvii 131 

1.  The  last  ministry  of  love  and  judgment  among 

His  own.    xiii,  1-30 131 

a.  The  unselfish  humility  of  love,     xiii,  1-20. .   131 

b.  The  separation  of  the  selfish  apostle  in  a 

last  judgment,    xiii,  21-30 134 

2.  The  last  discourses,    xiii,  31-xvii 135 

a.  In  the  upper  room,    xiii,  31-xiv,  31 136 

1.  The  separation  and  its  necessity  and 

its  results,     xiii,  31-38.    Peter 136 

2.  Christ    and    the    Father,     xiv,    i-ii. 

Thomas  and  Philip 138 

3.  Christ  and  the  disciples,     xiv,  12-21..   141 

4.  The  law  and   the  progress  of  further 

revelation,    xiv,  22-31.    Judas 142 

b.  On  the  way.    xv,  xvi 144 

1.  The  living  union,     xv,  i-io 144 

2.  The  issues  of  union:  the  disciples  and 

Christ.     XV,  11-16 146 

3.  The  issues  of  union:  the  disciples  and 

the  world,    xv,  17-27 148 

4.  The   world  and  the  Advocate,    xvi, 

i-ii 150 

5.  The  Advocate  and  the  disciples,    xvi, 

12-15 152 

6.  Sorrow  turned  to  joy.     xvi,  16-24 i54 

7.  Defeat  and  victory,    xvi,  25-33 155 

C,  The  High  Priest's  prayer,    xvii 157 

1.  The  Son  and  the  Father,    xvii,  1-5. . .   157 

2.  The  Son  and  the  disciples,    xvii,  6-19.  159 

3.  The  Son  and  the  Church,    xvii,  20-26.  161 

B,  The  victory  and  the  defeat  of  unbelief,    xviii-xx 163 

I.  Its  victory  in  Christ's  death,    xviii,  xix 165 

a.  The  betrayal,    xviii,  i-ii 165 

b.  The  double  trial,    xviii,  12-xix,  16 167 


22  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

PACB 

1.  The  ecclesiastical  trial,    xviii,  12-27.  •  167 

2.  The  civil  trial,    xviii,  27-xix,  16 170 

c.  The  end.    xix,  17-42 179 

2.  Its  defeat  in  Christ's  resurrection.    The  new  life. 

XX 185 

a.  The    facts,    satisfying    Peter    and    John. 

XX,  i-io 185 

b.  The  revelation  to  personal  love,    xx,  11-18.  189 

c.  The  revelation  to  the  fear-filled  disciples. 

XX,  19-23 190 

d.  The  revelation  to  Thomas,    xx,  24-29 192 

The  close  of  the  story  and  John's  explanation  of 

his  purpose,    xx,  30-31 194 

Epilogue,  xxi 197 


THE  PROLOGUE.    I.    1-18 


"This  little  book  is  a  still  deeper  sea,  in  which  the  sun  and 
stars  are  mirrored,  and  if  there  are  eternal  truths  (and  such  there 
are)  for  the  human  race,  they  are  found  in  the  Gospel  of  John." 

— Herder. 

"This  Gospel  is  the  consummation  of  the  Gospels,  as  the 
Gospels  are  of  all  the  Scriptures." — Origen. 


Ch.  I.  1-18  PROLOGUE  26 


PROLOGUE,   i,  1-18 

(7)  1  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word 
^-^  -^  was  with  God  and  the  Word  was  God.  2  The  same 
was  in  the  beginning  with  God.  3  All  things  were  made 
through  him;  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made 
that  hath  been  made.  4  In  him  was  life;  and  the  life 
was  the  light  of  men.  5  And  the  light  shineth  in  the  dark- 
ness; and  the  darkness  apprehended  it  not.  6  There 
came  a  man,  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John.  7  The 
same  came  for  witness,  that  he  might  bear  witness  of  the 
light,  that  all  might  believe  through  him.  8  He  was  not 
the  light,  but  came  that  he  might  bear  witness  of  the  light. 
9  There  was  the  true  light,  even  the  light  which  lighteth 
every  man,  coming  into  the  world.  10  He  was  in  the 
world,  and  the  world  was  made  through  him,  and  the  world 
knew  him  not.  11  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  they  that 
were  his  own  received  him  not.  12  But  as  many  as  re- 
ceived him,  to  them  gave  he  the  right  to  become  children 
of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name:  13  who 
were  bom,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of 
the  will  of  man,  but  of  God.  14  And  the  Word  became  flesh 
and  dwelt  among  us  (and  we  beheld  his  glory,  glory  as  of 
the  only  begotten  from  the  Father),  full  of  grace  and  truth. 
15  John  beareth  witness  of  him,  and  crieSi,  saying.  This 
was  he  of  whom  I  said.  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  become 
before  me:  for  he  was  before  me.  16  For  of  his  fulness 
we  all  received,  and  grace  for  grace.  17  For  the  law  was 
given  through  Moses ;  grace  and  truth  came  through  Jesus 
Christ.  18  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time;  the  only 
begotten  Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath 
declared  him. 

The  prologue  forecasts  the  plot  and  purpose  of  the 
Gospel. 

1.  The  revelation  of  the  Word,  1-4. 

2.  The  rejection  by  unbelief,  5-1 1, 

as  the  light,  5-9, 

as  the  world's  creator  and  preserver,  10, 

as  Lord  of  His  own,  11. 

3.  The  acceptance  by  faith,  12-18. 

This  is  the  best  that  can  be  done  to  crowd  infinite  mys- 
teries into  finite  speech.     Our   language  is  strained    here 


26  PROLOGUE  Ch.  I.  1-18 

to  its  utmost  compass,  but  it  has  the  limitations  of  the 
human  life  by  which  it  was  created  and  within  which  it 
grew,  and  it  cannot  contain  what  is  above  and  beyond  it. 
It  can  only  feel  after  and  suggest  it.  There  was  in  God 
a  necessity  for  expressing  Himself,  for  loving  and  being 
loved,  so  God  put  Himself  forth.  That  forthputting  was 
the  Word.  From  the  beginning  this  Word  was.  God 
made  all  things  through  Him.  He  was  the  giver  of  all 
life  and  Hght.  Wherever  in  all  the  world  and  in  all  ages 
there  has  been  truth  and  discernment,  those  were  His 
working.  But  men  did  not  recognize  Him.  So  He  came 
in  flesh  and  blood.  His  character,  full  of  grace  and  truth, 
attested  Him,  and  those  who  perceive  who  He  is  have  a 
new  knowledge  and  enter  into  a  new  relationship  with 
God.  This  is  the  way  John  begins  his  Gospel.  It  is  the 
simplest  and  most  satisfactory  view  we  have  of  one  of  the 
three  deepest  and  most  solemn  problems  of  life.  Whence 
came  we?  The  Word  was  God's  Son.  He  shows  us  that 
God  is  our  Father,  also. 

Schilling  said  that  the  greatness  of  a  system  of  thought 
is  better  tested  sometimes  by  its  power  to  create  questions 
than  by  its  power  to  answer  them. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  was  the  origin  of  language  and  what  are  its 
limitations,  especially  in  the  sphere  of  religion?  Read 
Bushnell's  sermon,  "Our  Gospel  a  Gift  to  the  Imagination" 
in  "Building  Eras  in  Religion." 

2.  Can  you  think  of  any  more  effective,  or  suggestive, 
introduction  than  this  to  a  book  whose  author  had  such 
a  purpose  as  John  avows  in  John  xx,  31.  Could  you 
infer  that  purpose  from  this  introduction  if  John  had  not 
so  explicitly  avowed  it? 

3.  If  God  is  what  Christians  believe  Him  to  be,  must 
not  all  our  discoveries  of  God  be  simply  God's  self-rev- 
elation? And  if  God  is  thus  always  revealing  Himself, 
and  if  all  our  knowledge  of  Him  is  simply  discovery  of 
what  is  always  there  for  whoever  will  find  it,  are  we 
not  responsible  if  we  miss  it?  If  with  the  revelation  of 
Christ  within  our  reach  we  are  unacquainted  with  God 
in  Him,  whose  fault  is  it? 


I.   THE  PROCLAMATION,    i,  19-iv 

A.  The  Introductory  Testimony  to  Christ,     i,  19-ii,  12. 

1.  Of  John  the  Baptist,     i,  19-36. 

a.  In  answer  to  the  embassy  from  the  Jews,    i,  19-28. 

b.  In  answer  to  the  approach  of  Jesus  and  to  his 

own  disciples,     i,  29-36. 

2.  Of  the  Disciples,     i,  37-51. 

a.  The  first  group,     i,  37-42. 
h.  The  second  group._i,  43-51. 

3.  Of  signs,     ii,  i-ii. 

B.  The  Introductory  Work  of  Christ,    ii,  13-iv,  54. 

1.  In  Judea.    ii,  13-iii,  36. 

a.  At  Jerusalem  in  the  Temple,     ii,  13-22. 

b.  At  Jerusalem  with  Jews,     ii,  23-iii,  21. 

(i)  Generally,     ii,   23-25.  _ 

(2)  Specially.    The  interview  with  Nicodemus. 

iii,  1-21. 

(3)  Generally  again,     iii,  22-36. 

2.  In  Samaria.     The  woman  by  Jacob's  well,    iv,  1-42. 

3.  In  Galilee,     iv,  43-54- 


"The  first  three  evangelists  give  us  diverse  aspects  of  one 

glorious  landscape.  St.  John  pours  over  that  landscape  a 
flood  of  heavenly  sunshine,  which  seems  to  transfigure  its  very 
character,  though  every  feature  of  the  landscape  remains  the 
same." — Farrar. 

"The  Gospel  of  John  is  the  most  original,  the  most  important, 
the  most  influential  book  in  all  literature.  ...  It  is  simple  as 
a  child  and  sublime  as  a  seraph,  gentle  as  a  lamb  and  bold  as 
as  an  eagle,  deep  as  the  sea,  and  high  as  ^e  heavens." — Schaff, 


Ch.  I.  19-28     INTRODUCTORY  TESTIMONY  29 

I.  THE  PROCLAMATION,    i,  19-iv 

A.  The  Introductory  Testimony  to  Christ,    i,  19-ii,  12 

I.  The  Testimony  of  John  the  Baptist,    i,  19-38 

a.  In  answer  to  the  embassy  from  the  Jews,    i,  19-28 

^  19  And  this  is  the  witness  of  John,  when  the  Jews 
^-^^  sent  unto  him  from  Jerusalem  priests  and  Levites  to 
ask  him,  Who  art  thou?  20  And  he  confessed,  and  denied 
not;  and  he  confessed,  I  am  not  the  Christ.  21  And  they 
asked  him,  What  then?  Art  thou  Elijah?  And  he  saith, 
I  am  not.  Art  thou  the  prophet?  And  he  answered  No. 
22  They  said  therefore  unto  him.  Who  art  thou?  that  we 
may  give  an  answer  to  them  that  sent  us.  What  sayest 
thou  of  thyself?  23  He  said,  I  am  the  voice  of  one  crying 
in  the  wilderness.  Make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as 
said  Isaiah  the  prophet.  24  And  they  had  been  sent  from 
the  Pharisees.  25  And  they  asked  him,  and  said  unto  him, 
Why  then  baptizest  thou,  if  thou  art  not  the  Christ,  neither 
Elijah,  neither  the  prophet?  26  John  answered  them, 
saying,  I  baptize  in  water:  in  the  midst  of  you  standeth 
one  whom  ye  know  not,  27  even  he  that  cometh  after 
me,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoe  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose. 
28  These  things  were  done  in  Bethany  beyond  the  Jordan, 
where  John  was  baptizing. 

"I  am  a  voice,"  thou  sayest,  thou  holy  John, 
If  voice  thou  art,  why  was  thy  father  dumb? 

0  silence  strange!  which  while  I  muse  upon 

1  see  thy  voice  from  God,  not  man  did  come. 

— Crashaw. 

The  man  who  came  before  Jesus  comes  after  Him. 
First  John,  then  Jesus.  But  John  says,  "No,  first  Jesus, 
then  John."  He  had  come  first  only  in  order  to  make 
first  place  for  Jesus.  He  had  come  before  Jesus'  face. 
He  at  once  sought  to  be  behind  Jesus'  back.  Whoever 
will  act  on  this  principle  of  self-effacement  will  find  what 
John  found,  that  Jesus  will  exalt  him  who  humbles  himself. 
John  answered  curtly  men's  questions  about  himself. 
He  had  come  to  speak  for  Jesus.     If  men  were  willing  to 


30  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  I.  29-36 

hear  of  Him,  John  was  ready  to  speak.  Today  would 
be  a  different  day  from  any  we  have  ever  known  if  we 
should  enter  upon  it  in  the  Spirit  of  God  which  was  in 
John  the  Baptist.  But  we  must  do  it  really.  Putting 
ourselves  forward,  claiming  Christ's  favor  or  authority 
because  we  are  Christ's,  forming  our  own  plans  and  calling 
them  God's — is  not  the  right  way.  The  right  way  is  to 
give  Jesus  the  pre-eminence  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  that  is, 
in  thought  and  act. 

"Anything  more  un- Jewish  than  what  John  preached 
or  more  unlike  his  times  could  not  be  imagined.  Assuredly 
it  must  have  come  to  him  as  a  new  fact  and  a  new  mes- 
sage directly  from  heaven." — Edersheim. 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Can  the  force  of  such  testimony  as  this  be  escaped 
except  by  the  attitude  of  mind  which  has  decided  in  ad- 
vance of  the  testimony  that  it  will  not  accept  it  unless 
it  is  pleased  with  it?  And  is  such  an  attitude  of  mind 
toward  testimony  scientific? 

2.  If  there  are  other  ways  in  which  to  escape  the  ob- 
vious force  of  this  testimony,  what  are  they  and  can  they 
justify  themselves? 

3.  But  just  how  far  toward  the  writer's  purpose  does 
the  testimony  of  this  paragraph  alone  carry  us?  Remember 
that  it  is  only  introductory. 

4.  What  is  your  conception  of  the  personaHty  and 
mission  of  John  the  Baptist? 

h.  In  answer  to  the    approach  of   Jesus  and  to  his  own 
disciples,     i,  29-36 

®29  On  the  morrow  he  seeth  Jesus  coming  unto  him, 
and  saith,  Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world!  30  This  is  he  of  whom  I  said.  After 
me  Cometh  a  man  who  is  become  before  me:  for  he  was 
before  me.  31  And  I  knew  him  not;  but  that  he  should 
be  made  manifest  to  Israel,  for  this  cause  came  I  baptizing 
in  water.  32  And  John  bare  witness,  saying,  I  have  beheld 
de  Spirit  descending  as  a  dove  out  of  heaven;  and  it  abode 


Ch.  I.  29-36    INTRODUCTORY  TESTIMONY  31 

upon  him.  33  And  I  knew  him  not;  but  he  that  sent 
me  to  baptize  in  water,  he  said  unto  me,  Upon  whomsoever 
thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  abiding  upon  him, 
the  same  is  he  that  baptizeth  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  34  And 
I  have  seen,  and  have  borne  witness  that  this  is  the  Son 
of  God. 

35  And  again  on  the  morrow  John  was  standing,  and 
two  of  his  disciples;  36  And  he  looked  upon  Jesus  as  he 
wdked,  and  saith.  Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God ! 

The  mothers  of  John  and  of  Jesus  were  kinswomen,  so 
the  sons  must  have  known  of  one  another,  and  perhaps 
have  played  together  as  boys.  And  John  proclaims  now 
in  Jesus  what  both  their  families  had  long  known,  and 
must  often  have  talked  about,  or  the  scenes  recorded  in 
Luke  I  and  II  could  never  have  been  so  well  remembered. 
If  Jesus  was  the  Messiah,  John  had  had  opportunity  to 
know  it.  If  He  was  not,  John  would  long  before  this 
have  been  undeceived.  Yet  he  had  never  known  Him  in 
those  days  as  he  now  knew  Him.  Since  that  baptism 
he  had  a  new  knowledge  of  Jesus.  In  obeying  and  bap- 
tizing Jesus  he  was  given  a  new  understanding  of  Jesus. 
No  questionings  of  others  could  shake  him  now.  "I 
have  seen  and  have  borne  witness  that  this  is  the  Son  of 
God."  Whoever  will  obey  Jesus  will  see  this,  also,  and 
having  once  seen  it  will  become  a  witness  to  it. 

Jesus  is  called  not  the  Warrior  of  God,  but  the  Lamb  of 
God.  What  does  that  mean  for  us?  The  lines  "For 
a  child"  tell  us. 

"Lamb  of  God,  I  look  to  Thee; 
Thou  shalt  my  example  be; 
Thou  art  gentle,  meek,  and  mild; 
Thou  wast  once  a  little  child. 

"Thou  didst  live  to  God  alone; 
Thou  didst  never  seek  Thine  own; 
Thou  Thyself  didst  never  please; 
God  was  all  Thy  happiness. 

"Loving  Jesu,  gentle  Lamb, 
In  Thy  gracious  hands  I  am; 
Make  me.  Saviour,  what  Thou  arti 
Live  Thyself  within  my  heart  I 


32  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  I.  37-42 

"I  shall  then  show  forth  Thy  praise; 
Serve  Thee  all  my  happy  days; 
Then  the  world  shall  always  see 
Christ,  the  Holy  Child,  in  me." 

There  is  to  be  war  also,  but  it  is  not  spoken  of  here. 

Questio7is  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  "Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God."  Reflect  again  upon 
the  uses  of  language.  "Why  to  say:  'Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God,  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world'  signifies 
in  the  heart's  uses,  more  than  whole  volumes  of  palaver 
in  any  possible  words  of  natural  language.  No  living 
disciple  having  once  gotten  the  sense  of  these  types  of 
the  altar,  will  ever  try  to  get  his  gospel  out  of  them 
and  preach  it  in  the  common  terms  of  language." — 
Bushnell. 

2.  What  conception  of  the  character  and  influence  of 
Jesus  is  involved  in  the  thought  of  Him  as  Lamb  of  God? 
Does  this  conception  support  the  militaristic  idea? 

3.  What  new  conception  of  the  character  of  God  and 
His  relation  to  the  world  is  involved  in  the  fact  that 
the  Lamb  of  God  is  also  God's  own  Son? 

2.  The  Testimony  of  Disciples,     i,  37-51 

a.  The  first  group,    i,  37-42 

r^  37  And  the  two  disciples  heard  him  speak,  and  they 
^^  followed  Jesus.  38  And  Jesus  turned,  and  beheld 
them  following,  and  saith  unto  them.  What  seek  ye?  And 
they  said  unto  him.  Rabbi  (which  is  to  say,  being  inter- 
preted, Teacher),  where  abidest  thou?  39  He  saith  unto 
them.  Come,  and  ye  shall  see.  They  came  therefore  and 
saw  where  he  abode;  and  they  abode  with  him  that  day: 
it  was  about  the  tenth  hour.  40  One  of  the  two  that  heard 
John  speak,  and  followed  him,  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's 
brother.  41  He  findeth  first  his  own  brotiher  Simon,  and 
saith  unto  him,  We  have  found  the  Messiah  (which  is, 
being  interpreted,  Christ).  42  He  brought  him  imto 
Jesus.  Jesus  looked  upon  him,  and  said.  Thou  art  Simon 
the  son  of  John:  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas  (which  is 
by  interpretation,  Peter). 


Ch.  1. 37-42     INTRODUCTORY  TESTIMONY  33 

Compare  the  first  words  of  Jesus  in  the  four  Gospels. 
Matt,  iii,  15;  Mark  i,  15;  Luke  ii,  49;  John  i,  38,  39. 
"What  seek  ye?"  asked  Jesus.  "No  thing,''  replied  the 
two  men,  "where  dwellest  Thou?"  They  were  not  seeking 
any  thing.  He  was  what  they  wanted.  Is  it  so  with  us? 
And  the  Lord  was  seeking.  He  had  nothing  to  hide.  He 
had  all  heaven  and  God  to  show,  and  only  wanted 
open  hearts.  He  found  them  that  day.  And  John  never 
forgot  the  very  hour.  As  to  Andrew,  his  first  thought 
was  of  his  brother.  This  was  the  first  winning  of  a  man 
to  Christ.  Were  there  ever  two  brothers  more  unlike 
than  shrewd,  careful  Andrew,  and  impulsive  and  unstable 
Simon?  Doubtless  Simon  knew  only  too  well  the  differ- 
ence, and  the  assurance  of  Jesus  that  He  knew  the  inner 
self-dissatisfaction  of  his  heart  and  had  a  new  name  and 
a  new  character  for  him  was  the  only  evidence  of  the 
new  Messiah  that  Simon  needed.  The  man  who  finds 
the  Messiah  in  Christ  finds  a  new  man  in  himself.  Christ 
brought  men  as  straight  as  possible  to  Himself.  We  have 
here  "  a  warning  to  all  who  put  themselves  off  with  learning 
more  about  salvation  before  they  accept  it." 

"An  eagerness  in  acquiring  knowledge  about  Christ 
may  as  effectually  as  any  other  pursuit  retard  us  in  making 
acquaintance  with  Him.  It  is  mere  trifling  to  be  always 
enquiring  about  One  who  is  Himself  with  us." — Marcus 
Dods. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  it  not  a  strong  presumption  in  favor  of  the  Gospel 
that  it  offers  itself  so  boldly  for  experiment?  Christianity 
is  not  obscurantist.  The  Christian  may  be  out-argued  in 
debate,  but  he  can  always  do  what  his  opponent  cannot, 
namely,  appeal  to  facts.    Is  this  true?     Can  he? 

2.  Are  not  the  facts  presented  here  powerful  testimony 
in  support  of  the  entire  case?  How  would  you  analyze 
their  value  as  such  testimony? 

3.  What  was  the  significance  to  Simon  of  his  promised 
change  of  name?  Was  he  actually  called  Peter  afterwards? 
How  soon?    How  often? 


34  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  I.  43-51 

b.  The  second  group,    i,  43-51 

/^N  43  On  the  morrow  he  was  minded  to  go  forth  into  Gal- 
^^  ilee,  and  he  findeth  Philip ;  and  Jesus  saith  unto  him, 
Follow  me.  44  Now  Philip  was  from  Bethsaida,  of  the 
city  of  Andrew  and  Peter.  45  Philip  findeth  Nathanael, 
and  saith  unto  him,  We  have  found  him,  of  whom  Moses 
in  the  law,  and  the  prophets,  wrote,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the 
son  of  Joseph.  46  And  Nathanael  said  unto  him.  Can 
any  good  thmg  come  out  of  Nazareth?  Philip  saith  unto 
him,  Come  and  see.  47  Jesus  saw  Nathanael  coming  to 
him,  and  saith  of  him.  Behold,  an  Israelite  indeed,  in 
whom  is  no  guile!  48  Nathanael  saith  unto  him.  Whence 
knowest  thou  me?  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him, 
Before  Philip  called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under  the  fig 
tree,  I  saw  thee.  49  Nathanael  answered  him.  Rabbi, 
thou  art  the  Son  of  God;  thou  art  King  of  Israel.  50 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Because  I  said  unto 
thee,  I  saw  thee  underneath  the  fig  tree,  believest  thou? 
thou  shalt  see  greater  things  than  these.  51  And  he 
saith  tmto  him.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  see 
the  heaven  opened,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and 
descending  upon  the  Son  of  Man. 

The  mind  of  Christ  led  Him  toward  men  (v.  43).  The 
same  mind  in  us  will  lead  us  in  the  same  direction.  When 
Christ  finds  a  man,  that  makes  the  man  a  finder  of  his 
fellows.  What  convinced  Philip  of  the  Messiahship  of 
Jesus?  He  followed  Him  and  saw.  The  best  way  to 
become  a  follower  of  Jesus  is  to  follow  Him.  The  man 
who  will  really  follow  Him  for  one  day  will  not  want  to  for- 
sake Him.  Why  not  test  Christ  in  this  scientific  and  entirely 
rational  way?  And  what  convinced  Nathanael?  The 
Saviour  showed  him  that  He  understood  him  better  than 
he  understood  himself.  He  interpreted  his  soul's  longings 
for  him  and  offered  to  satisfy  them.  The  first  disciples 
came  to  Christ  because  of  what  He  was  in  Himself  as  they 
saw  Him  and  because  of  His  understanding  of  them  and 
because  of  their  confidence  from  these  first  interviews, 
a  confidence  which  the  later  years  made  the  dominant 
conviction  of  their  souls,  that  He  had  the  words  of  eternal 
life.     Do  we  not  want  them  to-day? 

A  man  is  found  by  Christ  when  the  man  is  revealed  to 
himself  and  has  opened  to  him  the  way  to  attain  his  truest 
longings. 


Ch.  II.  i-ii    INTRODUCTORY  TESTIMONY  36 

"And  we  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come  and  hath 
given  us  an  understanding  that  we  should  know  Him 
that  is  true,  and  we  are  in  Him  that  is  true,  even  in  His 
Son,  Jesus  Christ." — I.  John  v,  20. 

"Son  of  Man"  was  the  one  title  which  Jesus  gave  Him- 
self.   All  others  were  given  Him  by  others. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  was  it  that  so  quickly  convinced  Nathanael? 
Was  it  Jesus'  supernatural  understanding  of  his  longings 
as  under  the  fig  tree  he  had  thought  of  Jacob's  night 
visions,  Gen.  xxviii,  xxxii,  and  craved  such  experience 
for  himself?  Bethel  and  the  ford  Jabbok  were  not  very  far 
away. 

2.  Much  is  made  of  Peter's  great  confession  at  Caesarea 
Philippi,  Matt,  xvi,  16.  Was  that  any  more  wonderful 
than  this  sudden  confession  of  Nathanael's,  "Rabbi,  Son 
of  God,  King  of  Israel"? 

3.  Can  this  conversation  with  Nathanael,  with  what  was 
said  on  each  side,  be  interpreted  on  the  basis  of  a  merely 
human  valuation  of  Christ? 

3.  The  Testimony  of  Signs,    ii,  i-ii 

(e)  O  And  the  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  in  Cana  of 
^-^  ^  Galilee;  and  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there:  2  and 
Jesus  also  was  bidden,  and  his  disciples,  to  the  marriage. 
3  And  when  the  wine  failed,  the  mother  of  Jesus  saith  unto 
him.  They  have  no  wine.  4  And  Jesus  saith  unto  her, 
"Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee?  mine  hour  is  not  yet 
come.  5  His  mother  saith  imto  the  servants,  Whatsoever 
he  saith  unto  you,  do  it.  6  Now  there  were  six  waterpots 
of  stone  set  there  after  the  Jews'  manner  of  purifying,  con- 
taining two  or  three  firkins  apiece.  7  Jesus  saith  tmto 
them.  Fill  the  waterpots  with  water.  And  they  filled  them 
up  to  the  brim.  8  And  he  saith  unto  them.  Draw  out  now, 
and  bear  unto  the  ruler  of  the  feast.  And  they  bare  it. 
9  And  when  the  ruler  of  the  feast  tasted  the  water  now 
become  wine,  and  knew  not  whence  it  was  (but  the  ser- 
vants that  had  drawn  the  water  knew),  the  ruler  of  the 
feast  calleth  the  bridegroom,  10  and  saith  unto  him,  Every 
man  setteth  on  first  the  good  wine;  and  when  mcH  have 
dnmk  freely,  then  that  which  is  worse:   thou  hast  kept  the 


36  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  n.  1-12 

good  wine  tintil  now.  11  This  beginning  of  his  signs  did 
Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and  manifested  his  glory;  and  his 
disciples  believed  on  him. 

John  the  Baptist  and  the  first  disciples  have  borne 
testimony  to  Jesus.  Now  after  the  testimony  of  the  first 
men  we  have  presented  the  testimony  of  the  first  miracle. 
Only  John  calls  it  not  a  miracle  but  a  sign  {v.  2).  Jesus 
and  His  disciples  already  constitute  a  little  band.  It  is 
only  three  days  since  He  had  won  them.  One  became 
intimate  with  Jesus  very  fast.  Together  they  went  to 
a  festival  of  joy  and  added  to  its  joy.  The  Saviour  never 
threw  gloom  over  anything  that  was  innocent.  It  is  sin 
that  wiU  not  hate  itself  that  is  darkened  and  made  wretched 
by  His  presence  {w.  7,  8).  A  word  from  Him  wrought 
the  miracle.  Those  who  obeyed  found  that  acting  under 
His  orders  wrought  a  wonder.  He  turned  that  which 
had  no  value  into  that  which  was  precious.  These  things 
signified  who  He  was  (v.  11).  The  same  signs  can  be  seen 
any  day  now.  Jesus  is  doing  still  just  what  He  did  at 
Cana,  and  now,  as  then,  it  confirms  the  faith  of  His  disciples. 

p\  12  After  this  he  went  down  to  Capernaum,  he  and 
^-^  his  mother,  and  kis  brethren,  and  his  disciples;  and 
there  they  abode  not  many  days. 

There  was  a  brief  pause  now  between  the  introductory 
testimony  and  the  introductory  work.  Jesus'  family 
is  still  united,  although  Joseph,  never  mentioned  as  living, 
is  probably  dead.     Note 

1.  Jesus  and  His  disciples  having  returned  from  Cana 
to  Nazareth  went  together  to  Capernaum. 

2.  His  brothers  are  with  Him,  but  no  sisters.  Did  He 
have  any  sisters?  Were  His  brothers  sons  of  Mary,  or 
were  they  only  half-brothers,  sons  of  a  former  wife  of 
Joseph? 

3.  The  disciples  cling  to  Jesus  and  follow  Him.    x,  4. 

4.  They  abode  now  for  only  a  few  days  at  Capernaum, 
but  soon,  after  the  imprisonment  of  John  the  Baptist, 
they  came  there  to  reside.    Matt,  iv,  12,  13. 


Ch.  II.  I-I2    INTRODUCTORY  TESTIMONY  37 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  If  no  amount  of  testimony  is  sufficient  to  accredit  a 
miracle,  of  course  we  cannot  be  convinced  that  there  ever 
was  one.  But  is  it  "scientific"  to  lay  down  this  dogma? 
Suppose  some  one  from  our  day  could  step  back  a  hundred 
years  and  tell  of  the  achievements  of  to-day  with  electricity 
or  with  wireless  transmission,  or  suppose  he  should  go  to 
central  China,  with  his  story;  he  would  not  be  believed 
by  those  who  held  that  no  testimony  could  prove  a  miracle. 
And  yet  the  only  difficulty  in  the  matter  is  that  some 
men  have  met  with  a  higher  level  of  energy  than  other 
men  have  known.  Why  is  it  unreasonable  to  expect  mir- 
acles from  such  a  Miracle  as  Christ,  to  whom  levels  of 
life  and  energy  were  open  of  which  we  know  but  which 
we  have  not  learned  to  master? 

2.  What  is  the  significance  of  John's  constant  description 
of  miracles  as  signs?  He  nowhere  uses  the  word  miracle. 
These  deeds  were  looked  upon  by  John  not  from  the  side 
of  nature  as  marvels,  but  from  the  side  of  super-nature 
as  insights,  unveilings,  intimations. 

3.  Think  upon  the  feelings  of  Jesus  and  Mary  as  our 
Lord  passed  out  of  the  home  relationship  and  the  earlier 
conceptions  into  the  work  of  His  public  ministry  and  His 
prophetic  authority.  When  did  they  both  fully  understand 
and  become  not  Mother  and  Son  only  but  also  disciple 
and  Lord?     This  thought  will  interpret  v.  4. 

5.  After  the  sign,  a  time  of  quiet.  The  Saviour  was 
not  always  teaching  publicly  or  working  miracles.  If 
we  will  look  at  the  Gospels  we  will  see  that  a  small  part  of 
His  time  is  accounted  for  by  His  public  works.  Most 
of  it  was  spent  in  quietness, — in  prayer  alone  to  God,  in 
lonely  journeys  with  His  little  band,  or  in  the  simple  life 
of  the  homes  of  the  people.  We  need  not  be  always  on 
the  strain  of  public  activity.  It  is  in  the  quiet  of  social 
life  and  of  our  common  relationships  and  of  the  home, 
that  we  are  to  live  our  life.  There  the  real  tests  come. 
There  the  great  opportunities  are  to  be  found.  It  was 
what  Jesus  was  in  these  privacies  of  His  life  that  accounts 
for  what  He  showed  Himself  to  be  in  His  great  activities. 
So  with  us,  the  question  is  as  to  the  foundations  of  life. 
Are  they  solid  and  strong? 


38  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  H.  13-2^ 

' "  Beneath  the  edifice  that  men  call  Me, 

Whose  minarets  attract  the  setting  sun, 
Whose  portals  to  the  passer-by  are  free, 
Abides  another  one. 

"  The  heartbeat  of  the  organ  throbs  not  there, 
To  jar  the  heavy  silence  of  the  soul; 
Nor  low  amen  of  acolytes  at  prayer, 
Nor  bells  that  ring  or  toll. 

*'  Unsought,  undreamed,  save  by  the  solemn  few, 
Who  with  a  lantern  lit  of  love  descend, 
To  find  the  buried  arches  grim  and  true. 
On  which  the  walls  depend!  " 

— Martha  Gilbert  Dickinson. 

B.    The  Introductory  Work  of  Christ,    ii,  13-iv,  54 

I.  In  Judea.     ii,  13-iii,  36 

a.  At  Jerusalem  in  the  Temple,    ii,  13-22 

(^  13  And  the  passover  of  the  Jews  was  at  hand,  and 
^-^  Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem.  14  And  he  foimd  in  the 
temple  those  that  sold  oxen  and  sheep  and  doves,  and  the 
changers  of  money  sitting:  15  and  he  made  a  scourge  of 
cords,  and  cast  all  out  of  the  temple,  both  the  sheep  and 
the  oxen;  and  he  poured  out  the  changers'  money,  and 
overthrew  their  tables;  16  and  to  them  that  sold  the  doves 
he  said.  Take  these  things  hence;  make  not  my  Father's 
house  a  house  of  merchandise.  17  His  disciples  remem- 
bered that  it  was  written.  Zeal  for  thy  house  shall  eat 
me  up.  18  The  Jews  therefore  answered  and  said  unto 
him,  What  sign  showest  thou  unto  us,  seeing  that  thou 
doest  these  things?  19  Jesus  answered  and  said  tmto 
them,  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise 
it  up.  20  The  Jews  therefore  said,  Forty  and  six  years  was 
this  temple  in  building,  and  wilt  thou  raise  it  up  in  three 
days?  21  But  he  spake  of  the  temple  of  his  body.  22 
When  therefore  he  was  raised  from  the  dead,  his  disciples 
remembered  that  he  spake  this;  and  they  believed  the  scrip- 
ture, and  the  word  which  Jesus  had  said. 

The  few  days  at  Capernaum  among  friends.  Then  the 
long  journey  south  and  up  to  Jerusalem.  How  much  these 
unrecorded  days  must  have  contained !  And  then  one  great 
deed  and  one  great  conversation  are  all  that  are  picked 


Ch.  II.  13-22        INTRODUCTORY  WORK  39 

out  from  the  busy  days  in  the  great  city.  The  great  deed 
was  a  foreshadowing  of  all  His  work,  and  it  gave  Him 
opportunity  to  drop  the  first  hint  of  His  greatest  miracle, 
His  own  resurrection.  He  cleansed  the  temple  of  the 
hucksters.  So  He  cleanses  Hfe  of  all  meanness.  So  He 
purifies  all  worship.  So  He  gives  the  temple  to  all  God's 
children  and  wipes  out  all  class  privilege.  So  He  shows 
His  authority  over  all  worship  and  over  all  life.  He  who 
can  restore  the  temple  to  its  right  uses,  who  can  put  life 
where  death  was,  can  do  that  same  thing  in  all  the  hfe  of 
the  world.  To  do  it  He  is  the  everliving  One.  The  sign 
of  His  right  to  rule  life  is  found  in  His  own  life's  inde- 
structibility. He  lives  in  us  with  His  purity  by  the  power 
of  the  endless  Hfe.  But  it  was  not  until  long  afterwards 
that  the  disciples  understood.  Do  we  understand  even 
now? 

How  different  this  religious  professionalism  in  the  temple 
from  the  simple,  open,  familiar  fellowship  with  God  in  the 
fields  of  Galilee! 

"The  temple  of  His  body."  ''Do  you  know  what's 
the  finest  line  in  Scripture,  Doc?  But  He  spoke  of  the 
temple  of  His  body  .  .  .  keep  your  temple  strong  and  clean. 
If  I  was  a  parson,  I  tell  you,  I'd  go  right  to  Seventh  and 
Centre  next  Saturday  and  give  a  talk  to  them  blaggards  on 
that.    But  He  spoke  of — "    Klinker^s  remark  to  Doctor  Queed. 

"The  Scripture."  John  vii,  38,  42;  x,  35;  xiii,  18;  xvii, 
12;  xix,  24,  28;    36,37;  XX,  9. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  When  is  indignation  justifiable?  "I  have  seen  him," 
wrote  a  friend  of  F.  W.  Robertson,  "grind  his  teeth  and 
clench  his  fists  when  passing  a  man  who  he  knew  was 
bent  on  dishonoring  an  innocent  girl."  May  not  moral 
neutrality  sometimes  degenerate  into  neutral  morality? 

2.  What  modern  uses  of  the  church  or  of  religion  corre- 
spond to  the  abuses  of  the  temple  which  Jesus  denounced? 

3.  Would  a  later  writer  than  John,  manufacturing  a 
Gospel,  think  of  these  touches  of  verisimilitude  in  which 
John  so  naturally  explains  remarks  of  Jesus  which  were 
not  understood  at  the  time?  w.  21,  22;  vii,  39;  xii, 
ss;  xxi,  19. 


40  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  H.  23-25 

b.  At  Jerusalem  with  Jews,    ii,  23-iii,  21 

(i)  Generally,    ii,  23-25 

(7)  23  Now  when  he  was  in  Jerusalem  at  the  Passover, 
^^  during  the  feast,  many  believed  on  his  name,  beholding 
his  signs,  which  he  did.  24  But  Jesus  did  not  trust  himself 
unto  them,  for  that  he  knew  all  men,  25  and  because  he 
needed  not  that  any  one  should  bear  witness  concerning 
man;  for  he  himself  knew  what  was  in  man. 

John  does  not  need  to  describe  these  signs.  The  Spirit 
of  God  taught  him  silence  as  well  as  speech.  The  people 
who  beheld  believed  on  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  their  kind 
of  Messiah,  which  was  the  kind  Jesus  was  not.  They 
believed  Jesus  to  be  what  He  knew  He  was  not.  He 
knew  them  to  be  what  they  believed  they  were  not.  To 
the  Revealer  all  is  revealed. 

The  Gospels  are  full  of  the  evidence  of  Jesus'  complete 
understanding  of  men.  He  knew  human  nature  for  He 
had  deliberately  taken  up  that  nature  to  redeem  it,  and 
He  thoroughly  understood  the  task  He  had  assumed. 
But  also  He  knew  each  man  whom  He  met  individually. 
Motives  and  character  were  all  bare  to  His  eyes.  He 
saw  just  what  there  was  in  each  man  to  build  upon,  to 
draw  forth  and  develop.  This  was  terrible  to  the  evil- 
minded,  but  it  was  blessed  to  the  humble  of  heart.  It  is 
so  still.  Jesus  knows  all  our  weakness,  all  our  sorrows, 
all  our  motives,  every  impulse  and  purpose.  Happy  are 
they  who,  realizing  this,  can  go  on  to  sing,  "There's  not 
,a  friend  like  the  ^owly  Jesus.  No,  not  one,  no,  not  one." 
Po  lye  welcome  or  dread  the  present  omniscience  of 
•Jesus? 

-Q'^^iionsfor  Reflection  and  Discussion 

I.  What  courses  of  action  on  the  part  of  Christ  are 
illuminated  by  the  explanation  that  He  understood  men's 
motives? 

2.  What  kind  of  belief  is  that  to  which  Jesus  is  unwilling 
to  entrust  Himself?    Can  there  be  such  belief  to-day? 


Ch.  III.  1-2 1        INTRODUCTORY  WORK  41 

(2)  Specially.  The  interview  with  Nicodemus.  iii,  1-2 1 
^  Q  Now  there  was  a  man  of  the  Pharisees,  named 
^-^  y  Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews:  2  the  same  came 
unto  him  by  night,  and  said  to  him.  Rabbi,  we  know  that 
thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God ;  for  no  one  can  do  these 
signs  that  thou  doest,  except  God  be  with  him.  3  Jesus  an- 
swered and  said  unto  him.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee, 
Except  one  be  born  anew,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God.  4  Nicodemus  saith  unto  him.  How  can  a  man  be 
bom  when  he  is  old?  can  he  enter  a  second  time  into  his 
mother's  womb,  and  be  born?  5  Jesus  answered.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee.  Except  one  be  born  of  water  and 
the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  6  That 
which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh;  and  that  which  is  born 
of  the  Spirit  is  spirit.  7  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee, 
Ye  must  be  born  anew.  8  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  will, 
and  thou  hearest  the  voice  thereof,  but  knowest  not  whence 
it  cometh  and  whither  it  goeth:  so  is  every  one  that  is  born 
of  the  Spirit.  9  Nicodemus  answered  and  said  unto  him. 
How  can  these  things  be?  10  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  him.  Art  thou  the  teacher  of  Israel,  and  understandest 
not  these  things?  11  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  We 
speak  that  which  we  know,  and  bear  witness  of  that 
which  we  have  seen;  and  ye  receive  not  our  witness. 
12  If  I  told  you  earthly  things  and  ye  believe  not,  how  shall 
ye  believe  if  I  teU  ye  heavenly  things?  13  And  no  one 
hath  ascended  into  heaven,  but  he  that  descended  out  of 
heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man,  who  is  in  heaven.  14  And 
as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  man  be  Ufted  up;  15  that  whosoever 
believeth  may  in  him  have  eternal  life. 

^  16  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only 
^-^  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.  17  For  God  sent  not  the 
Son  into  the  world  to  judge  the  world ;  but  that  the  world 
shotild  be  saved  through  him.  18  He  that  believeth  on 
him  is  not  judged:  he  that  believeth  not  hath  been  judged 
already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  on  the  name 
of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God.  19  And  this  is  the  judg- 
ment, that  the  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved 
the  darkness  rather  than  the  light;  for  their  works  were 
evil.  20  For  every  one  that  doeth  evil  hateth  the  light, 
and  cometh  not  to  the  light,  lest  his  works  should  be  re- 
proved. 21  But  he  that  doeth  the  truth  cometh  to  the 
light,  that  his  works  may  be  made  manifest,  that  they  have 
.tieen  wrought  in  God- 


42  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  III.  1-21 

iii,  i-i  5.  A  man's  motives  for  coming  to  Jesus  in  any  par- 
ticular way  are  of  less  consequence  than  his  motives  for  com- 
ing to  Jesus  at  all.  Nicodemus  came  by  night.  Why  he 
came  by  night  rather  than  by  day  is  less  important  than 
why  he  came  by  night  or  day.  We  need  to  get  to  Jesus  by 
day  or  night,  by  land  or  sea,  in  summer  or  winter.  And 
when  we  come  He  will  know  what  we  need.  And  what- 
ever else  we  may  need  we  shall  all  find  that  we  need, 
whether  we  are  wise  men  or  simple  men,  great  men  or 
lowly,  the  same  thing;  that  is,  to  be  born  again,  to  have 
a  new  principle  of  life  in  us.  As  Professor  Drummond 
says:  "It  is  this  great  law  which  finally  distinguishes 
Christianity  from  all  other  religions.  It  places  the  religion 
of  Christ  upon  a  footing  altogether  unique.  There  is  no 
analogy  between  the  Christian  religion,  and,  say,  Buddhism 
or  the  Mohammedan  religion.  There  is  no  true  sense 
in  which  a  man  can  say:  He  that  hath  Buddha  hath  life. 
Buddha  has  nothing  to  do  with  life.  He  may  have  some 
to  do  with  morality.  He  may  stimulate,  impress,  teach, 
guide,  but  there  is  no  distinct  new  thing  added  to  the  souls 
of  those  who  profess  Buddhism.  These  religions  may  be 
developments  of  the  natural  and  moral  man.  But  Chris- 
tianity professes  to  be  more.  It  is  the  mental  or  moral 
man  plus  something  else  or  Some  One  else." 

iii,  16-21.  This  new  life  the  love  of  God  gives  in  Christ. 
If  we  will  have  it,  we  have  it.  Through  our  willingness  to  let 
God's  loving  will  be  done  in  us  God  makes  us  alive.  It 
is  not  our  work  or  our  working.  It  is  His  gracious  good- 
ness. We  accept  it  or  we  reject  it.  And  we  do  one  or 
the  other  according  as  the  fundamental  purpose  and  desire 
of  our  life  is  toward  evil  or  truth,  {w.  20,  21.)  Christ 
is  looking  for  right-minded  men.  The  right-minded  men 
will  come  to  Him.  But  the  glory  of  the  Gospel  is  that 
by  it  God  in  Christ  can  make  wrong-minded  men  right- 
minded.  For  Christ  came  not  so  much  to  expose  the 
fundamental  purposes  and  desires  of  our  lives  as  to  make 
these  purposes  and  desires  right,  to  save  us.  Thank 
God  for  that. 

"The  great  mystery  of  religion  is  not  the  punishment, 
but  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  not  the  natural  permanence 
of  character,  but  regeneration." — Westcott. 

In  the  heathen  religions  this  permanence  of  character 


Ch.  III.  I-2I       INTRODUCTORY  WORK  43 

is  universally  recognized.  Men  do  not  doubt  the  reality 
of  future  rewards  and  punishments.  Christianity  alone 
opens  a  way  to  forgiveness  of  sin  and  transformation 
of  character.  This  is  the  gift  of  God's  love.  What  is 
the  result?  Multitudes  who  will  not  follow  the  way  or 
meet  the  conditions  of  forgiveness  and  transformation  act 
as  though  they  imagined  that  the  love  that  provided 
them  had  apart  from  them  abrogated  the  law  of  per- 
manence of  character.  Not  so.  Not  apart  from  them. 
Only  through  them. 

"In  accumulating  property  for  ourselves  or  our  pos- 
terity, in  founding  a  family  or  a  state,  or  acquiring  fame 
even  we  are  mortal,  but  in  dealing  with  truth  we  are 
immortal,  and  need  fear  no  change  or  accident." — Thoreau. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  were  the  most  notable  conversations  of  Jesus 
with  individuals?  And  what  do  they  teach  us  as  to  the 
method  and  uses  of  conversation? 

2.  Is  not  the  reality  of  spiritual  regeneration  indisputably 
proven  to  thousands  of  men  by  their  own  experience  of  a 
superhuman  renewal?  And  cannot  many  men  testify  to  a 
life-long  series  of  renewals  and  expansions  following  the 
first  miracle  of  the  soul's  new  birth? 

"  Pausing  a  moment  ere  the  day  was  done 

While  yet  the  earth  was  scintillant  with  light, 

I  backward  glanced.    From  valley,  plain,  and  height, 

At  intervals,  where  my  life-path  had  run 

Rose  cross  on  cross:  and  nailed  upon  each  one 
Was  my  dead  self.    And  yet  that  gruesome  sight 
Lent  sudden  splendor  to  the  falling  night, 

Showing  the  conquests  that  my  soul  had  won. 

Up  to  the  rising  stars  I  looked  and  cried 

There  is  no  death!    For  year  on  year,  reborn, 

I  wake  to  larger  life,  to  joy  more  great. 

So  many  times  have  I  been  crucified, 
So  often  seen  the  resurrection  mom, 

I  go  triumphant,  though  new  Calvaries  wait." — Wilcox. 

3.  Is  not  every  man's  life  an  automatic  formulation  of 
a  creed  with  regard  to  Jesus  Christ,  a  creed  inflexibly 
codified  in  deeds  of  acceptance  or  rejection  and  the  states 
of  mind  which  these  deeds  imply? 


44  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  III.  22-30 

(3)  Generally  again,    iii,  22-36 

^  22  After  these  things  came  Jesus  and  his  disciples 
^^  into  the  land  of  Judsea ;  and  there  he  tarried  with  them, 
and  baptized.  23  And  John  also  was  baptizing  in  ^non 
near  to  Salim,  because  there  was  much  water  there:  and 
they  came  and  were  baptized.  24  For  John  was  not  yet 
cast  into  prison.  25  There  arose  therefore  a  questioning 
on  the  part  of  John's  disciples  with  a  Jew  about  purifying. 
26  And  they  came  unto  John,  and  said  to  him.  Rabbi,  he 
that  was  with  thee  beyond  the  Jordan,  to  whom  thou  hast 
borne  witness,  behold,  the  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men 
come  to  him.  27  John  answered  and  said,  A  man  can 
receive  nothing,  except  it  have  been  given  him  from  heaven. 
28  Ye  yourselves  bear  me  witness,  that  I  said,  I  am  not 
the  Christ,  but,  that  I  am  sent  before  him.  29  He  that 
hath  the  bride  is  the  bridegroom:  but  the  friend  of  the 
bridegroom,  that  standeth  and  heareth  him,  rejoiceth 
greatly  because  of  the  bridegroom's  voice:  this  my  joy 
therefore  is  made  full.  30  He  must  increase,  but  I  must 
decrease. 

"Jesus  and  the  disciples."    It  is  always  the  group  now. 

John's  friends  found  it  hard,  as  friends  always  find 
it  hard,  to  distinguish  between  loyalty  to  their  leader 
and  loyalty  to  his  cause.  He  had  taught  them  plainly 
that  One  was  to  come  after  him  who  was  to  surpass  him. 
But  the  disciples  of  John  could  not  comprehend  that 
his  mission  was  really  a  mission  of  self-effacement  and 
they  were  disturbed  to  see  him  overshadowed.  But 
John  was  glad.  If  he  had  surpassed  Christ  it  would 
have  proved  to  him  and  to  all  that  he  was  mistaken  and 
his  own  mission  a  failure.  His  joy  was  made  full  in  his 
eclipse  by  the  Saviour.  Happy  are  all  they  of  like  hearts, 
the  men  and  women,  the  boys  and  girls,  who  are  seeking 
things  for  others  and  not  for  themselves,  and  who  find 
their  joy  in  seeing  others  obtain  the  things  which  they 
sought  for  them.  We  can  have  much  more  happiness 
in  making  the  success  of  others  our  object  than  in  seeking 
our  own.  Then  when  the  world  thinks  that  others  have 
succeeded  and  we  have  failed,  we  can  smile  and  say  to 
ourselves,  "This  my  joy  is  made  full." 

"Where  is  the  lore  the  Baptist  taught 
The  soul  unswerving  and  the  fearless  tongue? 
The  much-enduring  wisdom,  sought 


Ch.  III.  31-36     INTRODUCTORY  WORK  45 

By  lonely  prayer,  the  haunted  rocks  among? 

Who  counts  it  gain 

His  light  should  wane 
So  the  whole  world  to  Jesus  throng?" — Keble. 

"  The  Baptist  stands  alone  in  his  life,  and  in  his  death 
absolutely  self-forgetful." — Edersheim. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  efifect  did  the  preceding  conversation  have 
upon  Nicodemus? 

2.  What  disciples  now  constituted  the  group  about  Jesus? 

3.  How  did  John  the  Baptist  conceive  that  his  work 
was  to  melt  into  Christ's? 

4.  Was  there  any  difference  between  John's  baptizing 
and  the  baptizing  of  Jesus  and  His  disciples?  Is  it 
probable  that  the  new  birth  was  now  suggested  in  con- 
nection with  the  latter? 

5.  Would  not  the  principle  laid  down  by  John  save 
us  a  great  deal  of  friction  and  heart  burning?  To  what 
experiences  of  our  life  may  it  be  applied? 

^1^  31  He  that  cometh  from  above  is  above  all:  he  that  is 
^-^  of  the  earth  is  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  earth  he  speaketh: 
he  that  cometh  from  heaven  is  above  all.  32  What  he 
hath  seen  and  heard,  of  that  he  beareth  witness;  and  no 
man  receiveth  his  witness.  33  He  that  hath  received 
his  witness  hath  set  his  seal  to  this,  that  God  is  true. 
34  For  he  whom  God  hath  sent  speaketh  the  words  of 
God:  for  he  giveth  not  the  Spirit  by  measure.  35  The 
Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his 
hand.  36  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  eternal  life; 
but  he  that  obeyeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him. 

These  verses  are  probably  words  of  John  the  Evan- 
gelist, not  of  John  the  Baptist.  In  the  revised  versions 
they  are  set  off  in  a  paragraph  by  themselves.  In  them 
John  sets  forth  some  of  his  deep  beholdings,  Jesus  was 
a  witness  to  heavenly  things  which  He  had  seen  and  heard. 
Men  were  slow  to  accept  His  testimony.  Those  who 
did  receive  entered  into  a  new  experience  of  God  and 
perceived,  as  the  world  did  not  perceive,  the  character 
and  significance  of  Christ.  And  those  who  did  not  believe 
^vere  not  untrustful  only,  but  disobedient.    In  v.  36  the 


46  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  III.  31-36 

American  Standard  Revised  translates  the  words  "be- 
lieved not,"  ''obeyed  not."  In  the  deepest  sense  faith 
and  belief  are  moral  terms.  To  believe  is  to  obey.  To 
disbelieve  is  to  disobey.  Hearts  of  childlike  obedience 
will  be  hearts  of  childlike  trust. 

The  wrath  of  God  is  not  anger.  It  is  the  shadow  of 
the  absence  of  God.  It  is  the  emptiness  of  Hfe  without 
Him.  "He  that  believeth  hath."  "He  that  believeth 
not  shall."  Faith  has  its  reward  now.  Unbelief  cannot 
have  all  its  judgment  now. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  there  not  an  evident  difference  of  bias  and  temper 
in  men?  One  type  is  "of  the  earth."  Another  type 
is  "of  God."  vii,  17;  viii,  47;  I  John  iii,  10;  iv,  1-7; 
V,  19;  III  John  II.  There  is  an  "of  the  world,"  xv,  19; 
xvii,  14,  16;  xviii,  36;  I  John  ii,  16;  iv,  5;  "of  the  devil," 
I  John  iii,  8;  John  viii,  44;  "of  the  evil  one,"  I  John 
iii,  12.  And  there  is  an  "of  the  truth,"  xviii,  37;  I  John 
ii,  21;  iii,  19;  "of  the  Father,"  I  John  ii,  16.  Is  our 
natural  element  "of  the  earth,"  or  "of  God  "  ? 

2.  Is  the  difference  between  "of  the  earth"  and  "of 
God"  always  the  same  as  the  difference  between  what 
society  calls  "bad  men"  and  "good  men"?  Does  this 
question  throw  any  light  on  the  problem  of  our  Lord's 
denunciation  of  men  who  must  have  been  the  upright  and 
public-spirited  men  of  His  day  and  on  His  unfavorable 
comparison  of  these  with  people  whom  they  looked  down 
upon?    Luke  xviii,  9-14;  Matt.  xx,3i. 

3.  What  is  eternal  hfe?  v.  36;  xvii,  3.  Read  von 
Hugel,  "Eternal  Life,  a  Study." 

4.  What  is  the  bearing  of  such  a  word  as  v.  34  upon 
the  common  conversation  of  Christian  men? 

2.  In  Samaria.    The  woman  by  Jacob's  well,  iv,  1-42 

©A  When  therefore  the  Lord  knew  that  the  Pharisees 
"*  had  heard  that  Jesus  was  making  and  baptizing  more 
disciples  than  John  2  (although  Jesus  himself  baptized 
not,  but  his  disciples),  3  he  left  Judaea,  and  departed  again 
in  Galilee.  4  And  he  must  needs  pass  through  Samaria. 
5  So  he  Cometh  to  a  city  of  Samaria,  called  Sychar,  near 
to  the  parcel  of  ground  that  Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph: 


Ch.  IV.  1-42       INTRODUCTORY  WORK  47 

6  and  Jacob's  well  was  there.  Jesus  therefore,  being 
wearied  with  his  journey,  sat  thus  by  the  well.  It  was  about 
the  sixth  hoiu:.  8  There  cometh  a  woman  of  Samaria  to  draw 
water:  Jesus  saith  imto  her.  Give  me  to  drink.  8  For 
his  disciples  were  gone  away  into  the  city  to  buy  food. 
9  The  Samaritan  woman  therefore  saith  unto  him,  How  is 
it  that  thou,  being  a  Jew,  askest  drink  of  me,  who  am  a 
Samaritan  woman?  (For  Jews  have  no  dealings  with 
Samaritans.)  10  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  If 
thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to 
thee.  Give  me  to  drink;  thou  wouldest  have  asked  of  him, 
and  he  would  have  given  thee  living  water.  1 1  The  woman 
saith  imto  him.  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to  draw  with,  and 
the  well  is  deep:  whence  then  hast  thou  that  living  water? 
12  Art  thou  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  who  gave  us 
the  well,  and  drank  thereof  himself,  and  his  sons,  and  his 
cattle?  13  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her.  Every  one 
that  drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again:  14  but  who- 
soever drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
never  thirst;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  be- 
come in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto  eternal  life. 

15  The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  give  me  this  water,' 
that  I  thirst  not,  neither  come  all  the  way  hither  to  draw. 

16  Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Go,  call  thy  husband,  and  come 
hither.  17  The  woman  answered  and  said  tmto  him,  I 
have  no  husband.  Jesus  saith  imto  her.  Thou  saidst  well, 
I  have  no  husband:  18  for  thou  hast  had  five  husbands; 
and  he  whom  thou  now  hast  is  not  thy  husband:  this  hast 
thou  said  truly.  19  The  woman  saith  unto  him.  Sir,  I 
perceive  that  thou  art  a  prophet.  20  Our  fathers  worshipped 
in  this  mountain;  and  ye  say,  that  in  Jerusalem  is  the 
place  where  men  ought  to  worship.  21  Jesus  saith  unto 
her,  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometii,  when  neither 
in  this  mountain,  nor  in  Jerusalem,  shall  ye  worship  the 
Father.  22  Ye  worship  that  which  ye  know  not:  we  wor- 
ship that  which  we  know;  for  salvation  is  from  the  Jews. 
23  But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  wor- 
shippers shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  truth:  for 
such  doth  the  Father  seek  to  be  his  worshippers.  24  God 
is  a  Spirit:  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship  in 
spirit  and  truth.  25  The  woman  saith  unto  him,  I  know 
that  Messiah  cometh  (he  that  is  called  Christ):  when  he 
is  come,  he  will  declare  imto  us  all  things.  26  Jesus  saith 
unto  her,  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  ht. 

^  27  And  upon  this  came  his  disciples;  and  they 
^-^  marvelled  that  he  was  speaking  with  a  woman;    yet 


48  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  IV.  1-42 

no  man  said,  What  seekest  thou?  or,  Why  speakest  thou 
with  her?  28  So  the  woman  left  her  water-pot,  and  went 
away  into  the  city,  and  saith  to  the  people,  29  Come, 
see  a  man,  who  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did:  can 
this  be  the  Christ?  30  They  went  out  of  the  city,  and  were 
coming  to  him.  31  In  the  meanwhile  the  disciples  prayed 
him,  saying,  Rabbi,  eat.  32  But  he  said  unto  them,  I  have 
meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not.  33  The  disciples  therefore 
said  one  to  another.  Hath  any  man  brought  him  aught  to 
eat?  34  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  My  meat  is  to  do  the 
will  of  him  that  sent  me,  and  to  accomplish  his  work.  35 
Say  not  ye.  There  are  yet  four  months,  and  then  cometh 
the  harvest?  behold,  I  say  imto  you.  Lift  up  your  eyes, 
and  look  on  the  fields,  that  they  are  white  already  unto 
harvest.  36  He  that  reapeth  receiveth  wages,  and  gath- 
ereth  fruit  unto  life  eternal;  that  he  that  soweth  and  he 
that  reapeth  may  rejoice  together.  37  For  herein  is  the 
saying  true.  One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth.  38  I  sent 
you  to  reap  that  whereon  ye  have  not  labored:  others 
have  labored,  and  ye  are  entered  into  their  labor. 

^  39  And  from  that  city  many  of  the  Samaritans  be- 
^-^  lieved  on  him  because  of  the  word  of  the  woman,  who 
testified.  He  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did.  40  So 
when  the  Samaritans  came  unto  him,  they  besought  him 
to  abide  with  them:  and  he  abode  there  two  days.  41  And 
many  more  believed  because  of  his  word;  42  and  they  said 
to  the  woman.  Now  we  believe,  not  because  of  thy  speak- 
ing: for  we  have  heard  for  ourselves,  and  know  that  this 
is  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

iv,  1-26.  One  immediate  and  personal  lesson  from  the 
story  of  our  Lord's  interview  with  the  woman  by  Jacob's 
well  is  the  privilege  and  duty  of  using  the  every-day  oppor- 
tunities of  life  as  Jesus  did  His.  He  did  not  confine  His 
conversation  about  God  and  the  great  spiritual  truths 
which  He  had  on  His  heart,  to  the  Synagogue  or  Sabbath 
Day.  He  used  meal  times  and  social  visits  and  the  occa- 
sions when  He  met  people  at  work  or  at  leisure  in  the 
fields  or  by  the  wayside,  as  the  opportunity  for  spiritual 
conversation..  The  one  subject  about  which  in  one  form 
or  anotherfSe  was  always  talking,  was  God  as  the  Father 
of  men  and  men  as  the  children  of  God  and  brothers 
one  of  another.  And  in  this  wonderful  interview  with  the 
woman  Jesus  did  not  simply  open  the  subject  as  though 


Ch.  IV.  1-42         INTRODUCTORY  WORK  49 

to  discharge  His  responsibility.  He  was  seeking  for  souls 
and  He  guided  this  woman  until  He  brought  her  to  the 
truth.  There  was  nothing  obtrusive  in  His  manner  or 
in  His  words.  The  Saviour  saved  people  tactfully,  but 
the  saving  was  the  vital  thing,  and  to  be  tactful  at  the 
price  of  human  souls  is  rather  expensive.  We  would  do 
well  to  learn  this. 

iv,  27-38.  Jesus  was  always  surprising  people.  Perfect 
truth  and  love  are  full  of  surprises  to  error  and  selfishness. 
He  surprised  His  disciples  by  treating  a  Samaritan  woman  as 
a  human  soul.  He  surprised  the  woman  by  revealing  to 
her  her  past  and  her  evil  life.  He  surprised  His  friends 
by  preferring  spiritual  service  to  material  food,  and  by 
the  nobleness  and  peace  of  His  life  in  God.  He  is  full 
of  surprises  still  to  all  who  associate  with  Him  intimately 
enough  to  discern  them,  and  in  this  self-seeking  world  the  . 
law  of  His  life  is  a  perpetual  surprise:  "My  meat  is  to'"^ 
do  the  will  of  Him  who  sent  me  and  to  finish  His  work."; 
The  service  of  God  was  the  satisfaction  of  His  life.  He; 
did  not  need  theatres  and  luxuries,  yachts  and  palaces,j 
new  sensations  and  constant  travel.  Doing  God's  willi 
satisfied  Him.  And  that  gave  Him  always  all  that  He 
could  do.  The  harvest  was  always  at  hand.  Every  day 
brought  its  own  whitened  fields  of  opportunity.  It  is  so 
now  to  those  who  live  their  lives  under  the  law  of  the 
eternal. 

iv,  39-42.  Some  of  the  Samaritans  accepted  the  testi- 
mony of  the  woman  and  beheved  on  Jesus  before  they  had 
seen  Him.  Others  declined  to  be  convinced  by  her  testi- 
mony, but  were  open-minded  enough  to  invite  Jesus  to  visit 
them.  This  gave  them  opportunity  to  investigate  for  them- 
selves, and  as  a  result  they,  too,  believed  on  Him,  not  because 
of  what  they  had  heard  from  her  that  she  had  heard  from 
Jesus,  but  because  of  what  they  had  heard  themselves 
directly  from  Jesus.  The  faith  of  both  of  these  groups 
of  Samaritans  was  justified.  We  are  warranted  in  believing 
in  Jesus  on  the  testimony  of  others  as  to  what  they  have 
found  in  Him,  and  if  we  bring  this  faith  to  Jesus  for  per- 
sonal testing  we  shall  find  that  He  will  confirm  it.  If  we 
cannot  accept  the  testimony  of  others  to  the  fact  that 
they  have  found  Jesus  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  we  ought 


60  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  IV.  1-42 

at  least  to  be  candid  and  earnest  enough  to  come  to 
Him  or  to  invite  Him  to  abide  "two  days"  with  us  and 
give  all  the  time  to  Him  with  an  open  heart  to  discover 
the  real  truth  about  Him.  We  shall  discover  it  and  shall 
find  Him  to  be  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

Say  ye,  "There  are  yet  four  months  and  then — "?  Be- 
hold, I  say  unto  you,  "Now." 

**  Lose  this  day  loitering — 'twill  be  the  same  story 
Tomorrow — and  the  next  more  dilatory; 
When  indecision  brings  its  own  delays, 
And  days  are  lost  lamenting  o'er  lost  days. 
Are  you  in  earnest?    Seize  this  very  minute — 
What  you  can  do,  or  dream  you  can,  begin  it. 
Courage  has  genius,  power,  and  magic  in  it. 
Only  engage,  and  then  the  mind  grows  heated — 
Begin  it,  and  the  work  will  be  completed." 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

I.  Can  you  restate  in  your  own  language  the  course 
and  development  of  thought  by  which  Jesus  led  the 
woman  on  to  her  recognition  and  confession? 

2.  What  touches  are  there  in  the  story  which  show 
John's  full  recognition  of  the  humanity  of  Jesus? 

3.  What  light  do  Jesus'  conduct  and  teaching  in  this 
incident  cast  upon  the  problem  of  race  feeling? 

4.  Does  not  a  story  like  this  rebuke  the  tendency  of 
mind  which  will  allow  for  none  but  slow  processes  of 
intellectual  and  spiritual  change?  Do  we  not  know  many 
instances  of  radical  alteration  of  opinion  and  of  character 
in  a  short  time?  Are  not  the  modes  of  mental  and  spiritual 
action  much  richer  and  more  various  than  any  single  theory 
allows?  And  if  so  are  we  not  missing  many  opportunities 
for  influence? 

3.  In  Galilee,    iv,  43-54 

(Jt)  43  And  after  the  two  days  he  went  forth  from  thence 
^^  into  Galilee.  44  For  Jesus  himself  testified,  that  a 
prophet  hath  no  honor  in  his  own  country.  45  So  when 
he  came  into  Galilee,  the  Galileans  received  him,  having 
seen  all  the  things  he  did  in  Jerusalem  at  the  feast:  for 
they  also  went  unto  the  feast. 


Ch.  IV.  43-54       INTRODUCTORY  WORK  61 

^  46  He  came  therefore  again  unto  Cana  of  Galilee, 
^-^  where  he  made  the  water  wine.  And  there  was  a 
certain  nobleman,  whose  son  was  sick  at  Capemaimi. 
47  When  he  heard  that  Jesus  was  come  out  of  Judaea 
into  Galilee,  he  went  imto  him,  and  besought  him  that 
he  would  come  down,  and  heal  his  son;  for  he  was  at  the 
point  of  death.  48  Jesus  therefore  said  imto  him.  Except 
ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  in  no  wise  believe.  49 
The  nobleman  saith  unto  him.  Sir,  come  down  ere  my 
child  die.  50  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Go  thy  way;  thy 
son  hveth.  The  man  believed  the  word  that  Jesus  spake 
imto  him,  and  he  went  his  way.  51  And  as  he  was  now 
going  down,  his  servants  met  him,  saying,  that  his  son  lived. 
52  So  he  inquired  of  them  the  hour  when  he  began  to  amend. 
They  said  therefore  unto  him.  Yesterday  at  the  seventh 
hour  the  fever  left  him.  53  So  the  father  knew  that  it 
was  at  that  hour  in  which  Jesus  said  imto  him.  Thy  son 
liveth:  and  himself  believed,  and  his  whole  house.  54 
This  is  again  the  second  sign  that  Jesus  did,  having  come 
out  of  Judaea  into  Galilee. 

iv,  43-45.  Days  spent  with  Jesus  are  always  "  the  days." 
To  the  Samaritans  "the  two  days"  must  ever  have  stood 
out  by  themselves.  "The  two  days  when  Jesus  was 
with  us."  Such  special  days  with  Jesus  bring  Jesus  into 
all  common  days.  The  common  proverb  about  prophets 
and  their  own  countries  Jesus  had  heard  and  now  quoted 
and  proceeded  at  once  to  disprove,  so  far  as  Galilee  was 
His  own  country.  It  was  His  home  country  and  there, 
instead  of  having  no  honor,  the  Galileans  received  Him. 
^Eleven  of  His  twelve  apostles  were  Galileans.  But  "His 
own  country"  meant-noL-tlie  country  where  He  had  grown 
up  and  was  well  known.  That  is  just  where  every  true 
prophet  will  be  received  with  greatest  honor.  The  phrase 
refers  to  Judea,  which  was  His  own  country  in  the  sense 
that  it  ougjjt^to  have  recognized  and  accepted  Him;  it 
was  the  couhrry  which  He  came  to  rule  and  guide.  The 
country  which  ought  to  accept  the  prophet  as  its  own, 
the  new  age  or  sphere  or  community  or  tide  of  sentiment, 
often  disowns  and  disdains  him  as  it  did  Jesus.  But  the 
prophet  will  be  loved  and  trusted  most  by  those  who  have 
known  him  best. 

iv,  46-54.  Many  children  died  in  Judea  and  Galilee  while 
Jesus  taught  on  earth  and  He  did  not  heal  them.    It  was 


62  PROCLAMATION  Ch.  IV.  43-54 

not  all  of  His  mission  to  deal  with  the  sorrows  and  griefs 
of  the  world  by  themselves.  He  came  to  remove  their 
cause.  He  dealt  only  with  illustrative  cases.  What  He 
did  in  such  cases  He  did  as  a  sign  of  what  He  would  do 
in  all  cases.  He  showed  how  when  His  principle  and  His 
life  were  in  control  death  in  all  its  forms  and  all  evils 
of  whatsoever  sort  and  all  their  power  were  overthrown. 
So  He  began  a  work  which  has  grown  and  grown  and  is 
still  growing.  If  instead,  He  had  spent  all  His  time 
and  strength  not  as  a  teacher,  but  as  a  healer.  His  influence 
would  have  long,  long  ago  vanished.  He  lives  as  the 
Risen  Lord  of  men's  souls  and  Master  of  men's  hearts. 
As  the  mere  curer  of  their  bodies  He  would  not  have  been 
remembered  after  His  death.  The  nobleman  understood 
the  sign  which  Jesus  wrought  and  he  and  his  whole  house 
believed.  To  believe  because  of  a  great  benefit  is  blessed. 
It  is  even  more  blessed  to  believe  through  and  over  and  in 
spite  of  a  great  sorrow.  Ezekiel's  wife  died.  He  beheved 
the  more  in  God.  Her  death  was  to  him  and  his  people 
a  sign  as  truly  as  the  restoration  of  his  boy  was  a  sign 
to  the  nobleman.  All  things,  both  life  and  death,  signify 
God. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  was  the  psychology  back  of  the  nobleman's 
reply  to  Jesus  in  v.  49  and  Jesus'  reply  to  the  nobleman 
in  :;.  50? 

2.  What  was  the  difference  between  the  nobleman  s 
belief  in  v.  50  and  his  belief  mv.  53? 

3.  Is  our  faith  to-day  like  the  faith  characterized  in 
V.  48?  Is  it  physical  evidence,  evidence  of  the  senses, 
that  men  really  need?  Would  they  be  convinced  any 
more  if  one  rose  from  the  dead  than  they  are  convinced 
now?  Would  not  such  a  phenomenon  leave  men  abso- 
lutely unconvinced?  Would  they  not  either  deny  it, 
or  find  naturalistic  explanation  for  it,  or  say  that  it  was 
an  inexplicable  phenomenon  which  had  nothing  whatever 
to  do  with  religion? 


II.   THE   CONFLICT,    v-xii 

A.  The  Prelude,    v,  vi^ 

1.  In  Jerusalem.    First  outbreak  of  hatred  in  Judea.     v 

a.  The  sign.    The  healing  at  Bethesda.     v,  1-9 

b.  The  sequel  of  the  sign,     v,  10-18 

c.  The  discourse  on  the  source  of  life.    The  Son 

and  the  Father,     v,  19-47 

(i)  The  prerogatives  and  powers  of  the  Son. 

V,  19-29. 
(2)  The  witness   to  the  Son  and  the  ground 

of  unbelief,     v,  30-47. 

2.  In  Galilee.    The  great  Messianic  testimony  and  the 

crisis  of  faith  in  Gahlee.    vi. 

a.  The  signs,    v,  1-2 1 

(i)  On  the  land.    Feeding  the  five  thousand, 

vi,  1-15 
(2)  On  the   sea.    Walking  upon  the  waters. 

vi,  i6-2i 

b.  The  sequel  of  the  two  signs,     vi,  22-25 

c.  The  discourse  on  the  Son  as  source  and  guide 

of  life.    The  Son  and  man.    vi,  26-59 
(i)  The  search  after  life,     vi,  26-40 

(2)  The  relation  of  Christ  to  God  and  man. 

vi,  41-51 

(3)  The  appropriation  by  the  individual  of 

the  Son's  life,    vi,  52-59 

d.  The  issue,    vi,  60-71 

B.  The  Great  Controversy,    vii-xii 


"This  is  the  unique,  tender,  genuine,  chief  Gospel.  .  .  . 
Should  a  tyrant  succeed  in  destroying  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
only  a  single  copy  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  and  the  Gospel 
according  to  John  escape  him,  Christianity  would  be  saved." 

—Luther, 


Ch.  V.  1-9  THE  PRELUDE  65 

II.    THE  CONFLICT,    v-xii 

A.  The  Prelude,    v,  vi 

I.  In  Jerusalem.    First  outbreak  of  hatred  in  Judea.    v 

a.  The  sign,     v,  1-9 

^  fC      After  these  things  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews; 
^^  ^  and  Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem. 

2  Now  there  is  in  Jerusalem  by  the  sheep  gate  a  pool, 
which  is  called  in  Hebrew  Bethesda,  having  five  porches. 
3  In  these  lay  a  multitude  of  them  that  were  sick,  blind, 
halt,  withered.  5  And  a  certain  man  was  there,  who  had 
been  thirty  and  eight  years  in  his  infirmity.  6  When 
Jesus  saw  him  lying,  and  knew  that  he  had  been  now  a 
long  time  in  that  case^  he  saith  unto  him,  Wouldest  thou 
be  made  whole?  7  The  sick  man  answered  him,  Sir,  I 
have  no  man,  when  the  water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into 
the  pool:  but  while  I  am  coming,  another  steppeth  down 
before  me.  8  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Arise,  take  up  thy 
bed,  and  walk.  9  And  straightway  the  man  was  made 
whole,  and  took  up  his  bed  and  walked. 

Helpless  men  may  seek  the  Saviour  as  the  nobleman 
of  Capernaum  sought  Him.  But  the  Saviour  is  also 
seeking  helpless  men.  He  is  seeking  them  more  lovingly 
and  longingly  than  they  are  seeking  Him.  To  the  man 
who  says  in  his  need  "I  have  no  man,"  Jesus  comes  and 
says,  "Yes,  you  have  Me,  or  you  may  have  Me  if  you 
will  take  Me."  This  man  took  Him  and  went  away  whole. 
Jesus  does  not  promise  to  heal  every  lame  man  of  his 
physical  lameness.  He  does  promise  to  heal  every 
broken  heart  of  its  sorrow  and  every  defeated  soul  of  its 
sin.  As  the  Father  is  seeking  men  who  will  worship 
Him  in  spirit  and  truth,  so  He  is  seeking  men  who  will 
let  Him  make  their  spirits  pure  and  free  and  who  will 
let  Him  give  them  His  truth.  It  is  to  the  man  who  can't, 
who  sees  no  hope  for  himself,  that  Jesus  comes  with  the 
word  of  help  and  hope.  No  man  can  be  so  low,  so  de- 
spairing, so  destitute  that  Jesus  cannot  find  the  pool 
by  which  he  is  lying  and  do  for  him  all  that  he  needs. 


66  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  V.  10-18 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Can  there  be  a  more  appealing  conception  of  God 
than  that  which  represents  Him  as  incarnate  in  order 
to  give  a  brother's  help  to  a  man  who  cannot  find  a  brother 
among  men?  What  thought  of  God  could  be  higher  than 
this? 

2.  And  must  not  God  be  better  than  our  best  thought 
of  Him? 

3.  Is  it  not  easy  to  see  the  difference  between  the  attitude 
of  Jesus,  who  recognized  that  the  man  was  not  whole  and 
made  him  whole  and  the  attitude  of  a  certain  modern 
school  of  thought  which  tells  him  that  he  only  thinks  he 
was  not  whole,  but  that  he  really  is?  Jesus  changed  facts. 
This  modern  opinion  denies  them.  This  contrast  exists 
in  spiritual  things  as  well  as  physical, 

4.  Who  probably  knows  best  what  claims  Jesus  made 
for  Himself,  the  people  who  heard  Him  and  believed  that 
He  claimed  a  unique  relationship  to  God,  or  modern  people 
who  wish  to  readjust  His  words  to  their  opinion,  not  their 
opinion  to  His  words?  What  did  the  Jews  understand 
Jesus  to  claim? 

b.  The  sequel  of  the  sign,    v,  10-18 

^  Now  it  was  the  Sabbath  on  that  day.  10  So  the  Jews 
^-^  said  unto  him  that  was  cured,  It  is  the  sabbath,  and 
it  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  take  up  thy  bed.  n  But  he 
answered  them.  He  that  made  me  whole,  the  same  said 
unto  me.  Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk.  12  They  asked 
him.  Who  is  the  man  that  said  unto  thee.  Take  up  thy  bed^ 
and  walk?  13  But  he  that  was  healed  knew  not  who  it 
was;  for  Jesus  had  conveyed  himself  away,  a  multitude 
being  in  ti^e  place.  14  Afterwards  Jesus  findeth  him  in 
the  temple,  and  said  unto  him,  Behold,  thou  art  made  whole: 
sin  no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  befall  thee.  15  The  man 
went  away,  and  told  the  Jews  that  it  was  Jesus  who  had 
made  him  whole.  16  And  for  this  cause  the  Jews  perse- 
cuted Jesus,  because  he  did  these  things  on  the  sabbath. 
17  But  Jesus  answered  them,  My  Father  worketh  even  until 
now,  and  I  work.  18  For  this  cause  therefore  the  Jews 
sought  the  more  to  kill  him,  because  he  not  only  brake  the 
sabbath,  but  also  called  God  his  own  Father,  making  him- 
self equal  with  God. 


Ch.  V.  10-18  THE  PRELUDE  57 

It  was  not  proper  for  a  man  to  carry  his  bed  about  on 
the  Sabbath.  The  Jews  objected  when  the  healed  man 
went  off  with  his.  He  defended  himself.  Surely  a  Man 
whom  disease  obeyed  was  to  be  obeyed  by  him.  What- 
ever Jesus  told  him  to  do  must  be  right.  It  always  is. 
Whatever  Jesus  tells  us  to  do  we  may  do,  whatever  the 
conventionalities  may  be.  Only  we  must  be  sure  that 
He  tells  us  to  do  it.  We  may  be  pretty  sure  that  we  are 
doing  now  something  that  He  did  not  tell  us  to  do,  and 
that  some  other  things  which  He  has  told  us  to  do  we 
are  not  doing.  The  Jews  soon  learned  from  the  man 
himself  who  had  healed  him,  and  Jesus  was  given  an 
opportunity  to  declare  that  God  was  His  Father  and  to 
defend  His  doing  good  on  the  Sabbath  by  an  appeal  to 
the  character  of  God.  Why  should  we  doubt  that  Jesus 
claimed  a  unique  relation  to  God  when  it  was  for  that 
that  the  Jews  put  Him  to  death?  Where  can  we  in  our 
turn  find  a  better  law  and  rule  of  life  than  God's  char- 
acter? What  is  in  accord  with  that  we  can  do.  Nothing 
else. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Have  we  any  prohibitions  or  constraints  to-day 
which  are  as  unreasonable  as  we  now  see  this  prohibition 
of  the  Jews  to  have  been?  Are  we  in  danger  of  going  to 
the  opposite  extreme  and  allowing  anything  whatsoever  and 
denouncing  as  unreasonable  all  small  scruples  and  fixed  re- 
straints? And  was  this  old  prohibition  of  the  Jews  so 
unreasonable?  Jeremiah  xvii,  21  ff.  Was  it  not  reasonable 
enough  when  reasonably  interpreted? 

2.  Is  there  any  way  in  which  men  more  effectually 
reveal  themselves  than  that  in  which  Jesus  revealed  Himself 
to  the  man  whom  He  had  healed,  namely  by  his  attitude 
toward  sin? 

3.  Have  we  grown  too  lax  in  Sabbath-observance? 
Will  our  present  laxity  breed  a  strong,  fine-principled, 
morally  rigid  race?"; 


68  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  V.  19-29 


c.  The  discourse  on  the  Son  as  the  source  of  life.  The 
Son  and  the  Father,  v,  19-47.  (i)  The  prerogatives 
and  powers  of  the  Son.    v,  19-29 

(2^  19  Jesus  therefore  answered  and  said  unto  them, 
^-^  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  The  Son  can  do  nothing 
of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth  the  Father  doing:  for  what 
things  soever  he  doeth,  these  the  Son  also  doeth  in  like 
manner.  20  For  the  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  showeth 
him  all  things  that  himself  doeth:  and  greater  works  than 
these  will  he  show  him,  that  ye  may  marvel.  21  For  as 
the  Father  raiseth  the  dead  and  giveth  them  life,  even  so 
the  Son  also  giveth  Ufe  to  whom  he  will.  22  For  neither 
doth  the  Father  judge  any  man,  but  he  hath  given  all  judg- 
ment tmto  the  Son ;  23  that  all  may  honor  the  Son,  even  as 
they  honor  the  Father.  He  that  honoreth  not  the  Son 
honoreth  not  the  Father  that  sent  him.  24  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  imto  you.  He  that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth 
him  that  sent  me,  hath  eternal  life,  and  cometh  not  into 
judgment,  but  hath  passed  out  of  death  into  life.  25  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  The  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when 
the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God;  and  they 
that  hear  shall  live.  26  For  as  the  Father  hath  life  in 
himself,  even  so  gave  he  to  the  Son  also  to  have  life  in 
himself:  27  and  he  gave  him  authority  to  execute  judg- 
ment, because  he  is  a  son  of  man.  28  Marvel  not  at  this: 
for  l£e  hour  cometh,  in  which  all  that  are  in  the  tombs 
shall  hear  his  voice,  29  and  shall  come  forth,  they  that 
have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life;  and  they 
that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of  judgment. 

No  one  can  believe  that  Jesus  spoke  these  words  and 
not  believe  also  that  Jesus  is  no  mere  man.  Every  one 
of  the  score  of  distinct  statements  in  this  paragraph  lifts 
Jesus  above  the  class  of  mere  men.  The  objection  of 
the  Jews  to  Him  was  that  He  had  called  God  His  own 
Father,  making  Himself  equal  with  God.  It  was  straight 
to  that  objection  that  He  now  spoke.  God  was  His  own 
Father.  The  Father  was  the  law  of  His  life.  The  Father 
loved  Him  and  guided  Him.  He  and  His  Father  were 
a  source  of  life  to  men.  The  Father  had  given  the  judg- 
ment of  life  over  to  Him,  that  men  might  honor  Him 
as  they  honored  God.  Whoever  denied  honor  to  Christ 
was  denying  it  to  God.    Each  of  these  great  truths  He 


Ch.  V.  30-47  THE  PRELUDE  59 

deliberately  stated  and  restated  for  the  Jews.  Instead 
of  denying  the  truth  of  their  grounds  of  opposition,  He 
affirmed  it.  He  was  the  Son  of  God  in  a  sense  in  which 
no  other  man  has  been  or  can  be  the  Son  of  God.  Let 
us  not  be  timid  and  uncertain  when  Jesus  was  bold  and 
explicit  even  though  His  declaration  cost  Him  His  life. 
Let  us  hold  and  affirm  unwaveringly  the  supreme  deity 
of  our  Lord. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  did  being  "sent"  cover  in  Jesus'  thought? 
iv,  34;  V,  24,  30;  vi,  38,  39;  vii,  16,  28,  33;  viii,  26,  29; 
ix,  4;  xii,  44,  45 ;  xiii,  20;  xv,  21;  xvi,  5.  Cf.  v,  37; 
vi,  44;  viii,  16,  18;  xii,  49;  xiv,  24. 

2.  What  were  Jesus'  prerogatives  and  powers  in  relation 
to  the  Father?    w.  19-23. 

3.  What  were  they  in  relation  to  men?    w.  24-29. 

4.  As  a  matter  of  fact  has  or  has  not  Christ  shown 
Himself  to  be  possessed  of  these  powers? 

(2)  The  witness  to  the  Son  and  the  ground  of  unbelief,     v, 
30-47 

(22)  30  I  can  of  myself  do  nothing:  as  I  hear,  I  judge: 
^^  and  my  judgment  is  righteous;  because  I  seek  not 
mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me.  31  K  I 
bear  witness  of  myself,  my  witness  is  not  true.  32  It  is 
another  that  beareth  witness  of  me;  and  I  know  that  the 
witness  which  he  witnesseth  of  me  is  true.  33  Ye  have 
sent  imto  John,  and  he  hath  borne  witness  unto  the  truth. 
34  But  the  witness  which  I  receive  is  not  from  man:  how- 
beit  I  say  these  things,  that  ye  may  be  saved.  35  He 
was  the  lamp  that  bumeth  and  shineth;  and  ye  were 
willing  to  rejoice  for  a  season  in  his  light.  36  But  the 
vritness  which  I  have  is  greater  than  that  of  John;  for 
the  works  which  the  Father  hath  given  me  to  accomplish, 
the  very  works  that  I  do,  bear  witness  of  me,  that  the  Father 
hath  sent  me.  37  And  the  Father  that  sent  me,  he  hath 
borne  witness  of  me.  Ye  have  neither  heard  his  voice 
at  any  time,  nor  seen  his  form.  38  And  ye  have  not  his 
word  abiding  in  you:  for  whom  he  sent,  him  ye  believe 
not.  39  Ye  search  the  Scriptures,  because  ye  think  that 
in  them  ye  have  eternal  life;    and  these  are  they  which 


60  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  V.  30-47 

bear  witness  of  me;  40  and  ye  will  not  come  to  me,  that 
ye  may  have  life.  41  I  receive  not  glory  from  men.  42 
But  I  know  you,  that  ye  have  not  the  love  of  God  in  your- 
selves. 43  I  am  come  in  my  Father's  name,  and  ye  re- 
ceive me  not;  if  another  shall  come  in  his  own  name,  him 
ye  will  receive.  44  How  can  ye  believe,  who  receive 
glory  one  of  another,  and  the  glory  that  cometh  from  ttte 
only  God  ye  seek  not?  45  Think  not  that  I  will  accuse 
you  to  the  Father:  there  is  one  that  accuseth  you,  even 
Moses,  on  whom  ye  have  set  your  hope.  46  For  if  ye 
believed  Moses,  ye  would  believe  me;  for  he  wrote  of 
me.  47  But  if  ye  believe  not  his  writings,  how  shall  ye 
believe  my  words? 

But,  says  Jesus,  you  may  say  that  all  this  is  only  my 
assertion,  (i)  You  sent  to  John  the  Baptist.  He  said 
the  same  thing  of  Me.  I  do  not  need  such  human  testi- 
mony, but  you  need  it.  (2)  The  works  that  I  do  bear 
their  witness.  Are  they  human?  Do  they  not  speak 
of  God?  (3)  And  the  Father  testifies.  You  do  not 
know  His  voice,  for  it  speaks  within  the  soul  and  your 
souls  are  dead.  (4)  The  Scriptures  testify.  You  think 
the  life  is  in  them.  Not  so,  it  is  in  Me,  and  they  point 
you  to  Me,  but  you  will  not  look.  It  is  just  because 
I  am  divine,  said  Jesus,  that  you  will  not  receive  Me  as 
divine.  An  impostor  you  would  receive,  but  the  reality 
you  will  not.  An  impostor  would  play  to  your  false  ideas 
of  God.  But  God  will  only  show  Himself  to  you  in  truth, 
and  that  truth  your  falsehood  will  not  accept  as  evidence. 
It  is  still  so.  All  denial  of  Jesus  witnesses  to  false  ideas 
of  God  the  Father.  Whoever  truly  knows  God  the  Father 
will  recognize  God  the  Sen. 

When  may  one  be  sure  that  his  judgment  is  right? 
V,  30;  viii,  14,  16. 

If  we  are  seeking  for  life's  central  principle  it  is  here — 
"Not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me." 

"Dare  to  look  up  to  God  and  say,  Deal  with  me  for  the 
future  as  Thou  wilt.  I  am  of  the  same  mind  as  Thou  art; 
I  am  Thine;  I  refuse  nothing  that  pleases  Thee;  lead 
me  where  Thou  wilt;  clothe  me  in  any  dress  Thou  choosest. 
Is  it  Thy  will  that  I  should  hold  the  ofiice  of  a  magistrate, 
that  I  should  be  in  the  condition  of  a  private  man,  stay 
here  or  be  in  exile,  be  poor,  be  rich?    I  will  make  Thy 


Ch.  VI.  i-is  THE  PRELUDE  61 

defence  to  men  in  behalf  of  all  these  conditions." — Marcus 
Aurelius. 

"I  am  but  an  arrow  in  the  quiver  of  Islam  and  thou 
the  archer.  It  is  for  thee  to  pick  out  the  fittest  shaft 
and  whithersoever  thou  wilt  discharge  it." — Amru  to 
Abu  Bekr  when  the  latter  was  Caliph  and  had  given  Amru 
his  choice  of  going  on  the  Syrian  campaign  or  staying  at 
home. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Can  a  man  who  has  known  of  Christ  and  has  re- 
jected God  in  Christ  still  believe  in  God?  If  he  can, 
is  not  the  God  in  whom  he  believes  nevertheless  the  very 
God  whom  he  could  not  know  if  He  had  not  come  in 
Christ? 

2.  Can  men  believe  who  receive  glory  one  of  another 
and  the  glory  v^hich  cometh  from  the  only  God,  they  seek 
not? 

3.  Is  there  any  other  God  than  the  God  Whom  Christ 
revealed?    If  not,  what  follows? 

4.  How  do  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  bear  witness 
of  Christ? 

5.  Is  belief  a  matter  of  the  will?  v.  40.  Read  James, 
''The  Will  to  Believe."  And  remember  Professor  James' 
words:  "I,  for  one,  cannot  see  my  way  to  accepting  the 
agnostic  rules  for  truth-seeking,  or  wilfully  agree  to  keep 
my  willing  nature  out  of  the  game.  I  cannot  do  so  for 
this  plain  reason,  that  a  rule  of  thinking  which  would  absolutely 
prevent  me  from  acknowledging  certain  kinds  of  truth  if 
those  kinds  of  truth  were  really  there,  would  he  an  irrational 
rule:' 

2.  In  Galilee.     The  great  Messianic  testimony  and  the  crisis 
of  faith  in  Galilee,     vi 

a.  The  signs,    vi,  1-2 1 

(i)  On  the  land.     Feeding  the  five  thousand,    vi,  1-15 

^  OL  After  these  things  Jesus  went  away  to  the  other 
^-^  ^  side  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  which  is  the  sea  of  Tiberias. 
2  And  a  great  multitude  followed  him,  because  they  beheld 
the  signs  which  he  did  on  them  that  were  sick.    3  And 


62  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VI.  1-15 

Jesus  went  up  into  the  mountain,  and  there  he  sat  with 
his  disciples.  4  Now  the  passover,  the  feast  of  the  Jews, 
was  at  hand.  5  Jesus  therefore  lifting  up  his  eyes,  and 
seeing  that  a  great  multitude  cometh  unto  him,  saith  unto 
Philip,  Whence  are  we  to  buy  bread,  that  these  may  eat? 
6  And  this  he  said  to  prove  him:  for  he  himself  knew 
what  he  would  do.  7  Philip  answered  him,  Two  hxmdred 
shillings'  worth  of  bread  is  not  sufficient  for  them,  that 
every  one  may  take  a  little.  8  One  of  his  disciples,  Andrew, 
Simon  Peter's  brother,  saith  unto  him,  9  There  is  a  lad 
here,  who  hath  five  barley  loaves,  and  two  fishes:  but  what 
are  these  among  so  many?  10  Jesus  said.  Make  the 
people  sit  down.  Now  there  was  much  grass  in  the  place. 
So  the  men  sat  down,  in  number  about  five  thousand. 
II  Jesus  therefore  took  the  loaves;  and  having  given 
thanks,  he  distributed  to  them  that  were  set  down;  like- 
wise also  of  the  fishes  as  much  as  they  would.  12  And 
when  they  were  filled,  he  saith  unto  his  disciples.  Gather 
up  the  broken  pieces  which  remain  over,  that  nothing  be 
lost.  13  So  they  gathered  them  up,  and  filled  twelve 
baskets  with  broken  pieces  from  the  five  barley  loaves, 
which  remained  over  imto  them  that  had  eaten.  14  iWhen 
therefore  tiie  people  saw  the  sign  which  he  did,  they  said. 
This  is  of  a  truth  the  prophet  that  cometh  into  the  world. 

IS  Jesus  therefore  perceiving  that  they  were  about  to 
come  and  take  him  by  force,  to  make  him  king,  withdrew 
again  into  the  mountain^himself  alone. 

vi,  1-14.  It  is  not  in  the  least  difficult  to  believe  that 
if  what  Jesus  said  of  Himself  in  the  fifth  chapter  is  true, 
what  John  says  of  Him  in  the  sixth  chapter  is  also  true. 
If  all  that  God  did  was  open  to  Jesus,  and  Jesus  had  with 
God  the  power  of  giving  life,  the  feeding  of  the  5,000 
is  readily  intelligible  to  us.  It  was  easily  in  His  power, 
and  how  else  could  He  reveal  Himself  and  teach  this 
truth  than  by  putting  it  in  object  lesson,  in  symbol,  in 
sign?  That  was  the  significance  of  the  miracle.  It  was 
not  merely  to  feed  hungry  people.  It  was  to  signify  to 
them  that  God  was  near,  the  life  giver,  the  satisfier  of 
the  soul.  And  thanks  to  the  efifectiveness  of  the  sign  we 
now  need  no  such  signs.  We  see  God  near  always,  in 
our  daily  bread,  in  all  common  experiences.  We  see 
God  everywhere  because  He  once  came  in  the  flesh  some- 
where, 
vi,   15.     Some  friendliness  is  the  worst  enmity.    The 


Ch.  VI.  i-is  THE  PRELUDE  63 

friend  of  the  struggling  drunkard  who  insists  on  treating 
him  once  more  is  his  worst  foe.  The  friend  of  the  artist 
who  kills  the  artist's  dreams  by  luxury,  the  friend  of  the 
artisan  who  palsies  the  artisan's  hand  by  ease,  are  friends 
only  in  name  and  intention,  not  in  fact.  Those  who 
materialize,  and  having  materialized,  accept  the  prophet's 
spiritual  message,  are  the  disciples  from  whom  the  prophet 
flees.  The  sign  of  Jesus  was  no  sign  to  many.  It  was 
a  fact,  not  a  symbol.  And  they  came  to  make  Him  not 
a  king  of  the  soul,  such  as  He  was,  but  a  king  of  gilt  and 
purple  which  He  was  not  and  would  not  be.  Jesus  did 
not  come  to  save  the  world  on  the  world's  plan  of  sal- 
vation. The  world  says,  "Let  us  do  it  by  money  or  by 
legislation."  Jesus  said,  "It  cannot  be  done  so.  It  is 
a  matter  of  motive,  of  spiritual  attitude  and  aim.  I  will 
be  a  king  of  hearts  or  no  king."  The  absolute  isolation 
of  the  mountains  was  better  than  such  a  throne  as  the 
people  planned.  That  issue  had  been  settled  once  for 
all  in  the  Temptation.  The  Light  did  not  propose  to 
be  dim  or  extinguish  itself. 

When  God  provides  there  is  no  lack.  "Thank  God," 
said  an  old  woman  at  her  first  sight  of  the  sea,  "Thank 
God  there's  one  thing  of  which  there's  enough." 

"Beyschlag  has  set  forth  the  way  in  which  the  miracle 
of  the  multiplication  of  the  loaves  by  provoking  the  sud- 
den explosion  of  the  political  hopes  which  were  smouldering 
under  the  ashes  among  the  Gahlean  people,  brought  to 
light  the  complete  incompatibihty  which  existed  between 
the  common  Messianic  idea  and  that  of  Jesus  and  made 
evident  the  moral  necessity  of  the  rupture." — Godet. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  can  our  imagination  construct  in  the  way  of 
character  portraits  of  Philip  and  Andrew?  Philip:  i, 
43-48;  vi,  5-7;  xii,  21,  22;  xiv,  8,  9.  Andrew:  i,  40,  44; 
Mark  i,  16,  29;  John  vi,  8;  xii,  22;  Mark  xiii,  3.  Read 
Thompson,  "The  Apostles  as  E very-day  Men." 

2.  What  significant  omission  is  there  in  John  vi,  15 
compared  with  Matt,  xiv,  23? 

3.  Can  you  not  see  the  beauty  and  the  pain  of  the 
effort  of  Jesus  to   lead   the  people  by  sign,  by  hints,  by 


64  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VI.  16-21 

plain  words,  by  deeds,  by  the  most  delicate  educational 
processes,  from  crass,  material,  political  conceptions  of 
His  character  and  mission  to  a  true  spiritual  faith? 

4.  What  associations  had  Jesus  with  mountains?  Ex- 
amine the  passages  in  Matthew's  Gospel:  iv,  8;  v,  i; 
viii,  i;  xiv,  23;  xv,  29;  xvii,  i,  9,  20;  xviii,  12;  xxi,  i,  21; 
xxiv,  3,  16;  xxvi,  30;  xxviii,  16. 

(2)  On  the  sea.    Walking  upon  the  waters,    vi,  16-21 

(24)  16  And  when  evening  came,  his  disciples  went 
^-^^  down  unto  the  sea;  17  And  they  entered  into  a  boat, 
and  were  going  over  the  sea  unto  Capernaum.  And  it  was 
now  dark,  and  Jesus  had  not  yet  come  to  them.  18  And 
the  sea  was  rising  by  reason  of  a  great  wind  that  blew, 

19  When  therefore  they  had  rowed  about  five  and  twenty 
or  thirty  furlongs,  they  beheld  Jesus  walking  on  the  sea, 
and  drawing  nigh  imto  the  boat:    and  they  were  afraid. 

20  But  he  said  unto  them,  It  is  I;  be  not  afraid.  21  They 
were  wilHng  therefore  to  receive  him  into  the  boat:  and 
straightway  the  boat  was  at  the  land  whither  they  were  going. 

Now  and  then,  some  simple  statement  of  fact  in  the 
Bible  sets  forth  for  us  the  deepest  of  great  spiritual  truths. 
"And  it  was  now  dark  and  Jesus  had  not  yet  come  to 
them."  These  words  record,  without  meaning  to  do  so, 
the  great  and  solemn  principle  that  Jesus  elsewhere  delib- 
erately puts  in  the  declaration,  "I  am  the  light  of  the 
world."  Until  Jesus  comes  it  is  dark.  He  brings  the 
light.  On  some  questions  He  brings  the  full  light  of 
noonday,  on  some  the  softer  light  of  evening  when  the 
sun  is  unseen  but  the  glory  is  still  shining,  or  of  morning 
when  the  sun  is  unrisen,  but  the  streamers  of  the  dawn 
are  pouring  upward.  On  the  existence  and  character  of 
God  Jesus  pours  the  full  light  of  day.  On  the  problems 
of  inequality,  of  sorrow  and  pain,  He  withholds  such  blaze. 
And  we  do  not  ask  it  if  we  have  Him.  Let  it  be  dark, 
let  the  storms  roar  about,  it  is  well,  if  He  is  in  the  boat 
with  us.  In  spite  of  dark  and  storm  He  will  bring  us 
to  the  shore,  "to  the  land  whither  we  are  going." 

Read  "B.  M.'s "  "The  Meeting  Place"  in  "Ezekiel 
and  Other  Poems." 

"It  is  I."  He  ever  declared  Himself,  iv,  26;  viii, 
24,  28,  58;  xiii,  19;  xviii,  5,  6,  8. 


Ch.  VI.  22-25  THE  PRELUDE  65 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  How  does  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  and  in  His  presence 
in  life  actually  help  men  to  deal  with  life  and  meet  its 
difficulties? 

2.  Is  such  help  as  men  get  from  Christ  subjectively 
given  or  is  Christ  really  at  work  objectively  in  the  world? 
How  could  Christ  work  for  me  more  objectively  in  the  world 
than  by  working  subjectively  in  other  men's  lives? 

3.  So  much  is  said  nowadays  about  prayer  as  only 
subjectively  valid,  that  the  question  may  well  be  raised, 
How  much  reality  is  there  in  the  distinction  made  between 
"subjective"  and  "objective"?  Is  the  change  effected 
when  a  blind  man  sees  or  a  deaf  man  hears  subjective 
or  objective?    And  when  an  unbelieving  man  believes? 

b.  The  sequel  of  the  two  signs,  vi.    22-25. 

(2^  22  On  the  morrow  the  multitude  that  stood  on  the 
^-^  other  side  of  the  sea  saw  that  there  was  no  other  boat 
there,  save  one,  and  that  Jesus  entered  not  with  his  dis- 
ciples into  the  boat,  but  that  his  disciples  went  away  alone. 
23  (howbeit  there  came  boats  from  Tiberias  nigh  unto 
the  place  where  they  ate  the  bread  after  the  Lord  had 
given  thanks):  24  when  the  multitude  therefore  saw 
that  Jesus  was  not  there,  neither  his  disciples,  they  them- 
selves got  into  the  boats,  and  came  to  Capernaum,  seeking 
Jesus.  25  And  when  they  found  him  on  the  other  side 
of  the  sea,  they  said  unto  him,  Rabbi,  when  earnest  thou 
hither? 

The  multitude  sought  Jesus.  They  found  Him.  Did 
any  who  truly  sought  Him  ever  fail  to  find  Him? 

"The  Lord."  When  did  men  begin  thus  to  speak  of  Him? 
iv,  i;   xi,  2;  xxi,  7. 

The  political  impulse  of  the  crowd  which  He  fed  was 
not  long  lived.  Jesus  knew  it  would  not  be.  He  was 
working  in  depths  below  those  which  poUtics  and  money 
reach.  When  the  people  found  Him  the  next  day,  their 
curiosity  was  greater  than  their  purpose  to  crown  Him 
{v.  25). 


66  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VI.  26-40 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  When  men  seek  for  Jesus  how  much  importance  should 
be  attached  to  their  motive? 

2.  Is  it  religious  to  want  rehgion  in  the  national  life 
because  of  its  moral  and  social  and  economic  value? 

3.  Was  the  question  of  the  people  in  z;.  25  merely  the 
fatuous  and  inconsequential  question  which  a  crowd  is 
likely  to  ask,  just  as  an  embarrassed  man  will  often  begin 
with  a  trivial  or  even  impertinent  remark,  or  did  it  indi- 
cate that  the  people  were  curious  to  know  how  Jesus  had 
crossed  the  lake?  If  the  latter,  was  it  not  like  many 
of  our  modern  inquiries?  A  preacher  preaches  truly 
the  word  of  God.  "What  was  the  name  of  that  usher 
who  showed  us  a  seat?"  we  ask  as  we  come  out. 

c.  The  discourse  on  the  Son  as  source  and  guide  of  life. 
The  Son  and  man.     vi,  26-59 

(i)  The  search  after  life,     vi,  26-40 

^  26  Jesus  answered  them  and  said,  Verily,  verily,  I 
^-^  say  unto  you,  Ye  seek  me,  not  because  ye  saw  signs,  but 
because  ye  ate  of  the  loaves,  and  were  filled.  27  Work 
not  for  the  food  which  perisheth,  but  for  the  food  which 
abideth  unto  eternal  life,  which  the  Son  of  man  shall  give 
unto  you:  for  him  the  Father,  even  God,  hath  sealed. 
28  They  said  therefore  unto  him.  What  must  we  do,  that 
we  may  work  the  works  of  God?  29  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  them.  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe 
on  him  whom  he  hath  sent.  30  They  said  therefore  unto 
him,  What  then  doest  thou  for  a  sign,  that  we  may  see, 
and  believe  thee?  what  workest  thou?  31  Our  fathers 
ate  the  manna  in  the  wilderness;  as  it  is  written.  He  gave 
them  bread  out  of  heaven  to  eat.  32  Jesus  therefore 
said  unto  them.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  It  was  not 
Moses  that  gave  you  the  bread  out  of  heaven;  but  my 
Father  giveth  you  the  true  bread  out  of  heaven.  33  For 
the  bread  of  God  is  that  which  cometh  down  out  of  heaven, 
and  giveth  life  unto  the  world.  34  They  said  therefore 
unto  him.  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this  bread.  35  Jesus 
said  unto  tiiem,  I  am  the  bread  of  life :  he  that  cometh  to 
me  shall  not  hunger,  and  he  that  believeth  on  me  shall 
never  thirst.    36  But  I  said  tmto  you,  that  ye  have  seen 


Ch.  VI.  26-40  THE  PRELUDE  67 

me,  and  yet  believe  not.  37  All  that  which  the  Father 
giveth  me  shall  come  unto  me ;  and  him  that  cometh  to  me 
I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.  38  For  I  am  come  down  from 
heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  me.  39  And  this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me, 
that  of  all  that  which  he  hath  given  me  I  should  lose  nothing 
but  should  raise  it  up  at  the  last  day.  40  For  this  is  the 
will  of  my  Father,  that  every  one  that  beholdeth  the  Son, 
and  believeth  on  him,  should  have  eternal  life;  and  I  will 
raise  him  up  at  the  last  day. 

Jesus  cuts  at  once  through  their  materialism  in  the 
hope  of  finding  spiritual  apprehension  in  some  at  least 
to  whom  He  spoke.  Loaves  and  work  for  loaves,  and 
manna  and  Moses, — all  these  were  on  the  outside  of 
things.  Could  they  not  see  that  the  reality  was  the  life 
of  the  soul  and  that  that  life  was  a  relationship,  a  nour- 
ishment of  the  soul  on  God  revealed  in  Christ?  So  again 
Jesus  opens  Himself  to  them.  Was  there  no  one  among 
them  who  could  perceive  and  respond?  Did  they  not 
recognize  Him?  If  they  did  not,  then  surely  there  was 
no  faculty  of  recognition  in  them,  they  had  no  capacity 
for  God.  So  Jesus  put  it  to  them.  So  He  puts  it  now. 
God  is  in  Christ.  If  we  do  not  see  Him,  then  it  is  because 
we  do  not  know  God  when  we  do  see  Him. 

Read  the  passage  again  as  a  dialogue  and  take  in  the 
alternations  of  thought  and  note  His  struggle  to  lodge 
spiritual  conceptions  behind  the  earthliness  of  the  people. 

"If  the  day  and  the  night  are  such  that  you  greet  them 
with  joy,  and  life  emits  a  fragrance  like  flowers  and  sweet- 
scented  herbs,  is  more  elastic,  more  starry,  more  immortal, 
that  is  your  success.  All  nature  is  your  congratulation, 
and  you  have  cause  momentarily  to  bless  yourself.  The 
greatest  gains  and  values  are  farthest  from  being  appre- 
ciated. We  easily  come  to  doubt  if  they  exist.  The 
true  harvest  of  my  daily  life  is  somewhat  as  intangible 
and  indescribable  as  the  tints  of  morning  or  evening." — 
Thoreau. 

*'  The  life  of  Christ  in  history  cannot  cease.  His  influence 
waxes  more  and  more;  the  dead  nations  are  waiting  till 
it  reach  them,  and  it  is  the  hope  of  the  earnest  spirits 
that  are  bringing  in  the  new  earth.  All  discoveries  of  the 
modern    world,    every    development    of   juster   ideas,    of 


68  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VI.  41-S1 

higher  powers,  of  more  exquisite  feelings  in  mankind, 
are  only  new  helps  to  interpret  Him;  and  the  lifting  up 
of  life  to  the  level  of  His  ideas  and  character  is  the  pro- 
gram of  the  human  race." — Stalker. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  difference  between  philanthropy  and 
religion?  If  people  tell  us  that  service  should  be  dis- 
tinct from  and  uncompHcated  with  creed,  that  loaves 
are  loaves  and  ought  not  to  be  used  as  signs,  i.e.,  as  the 
instrument  of  propaganda,  does  this  dialogue  throw  any 
light  on  the  matter? 

2.  What  does  this  passage  have  to  say  to  the  mate- 
rialistic view  of  Hfe? 

3.  Does  any  other  verse  state  as  well  as  v.  38  the  govern- 
ing principle  of  Christ's  life?  Cf.  iv,  34;  v,  30;  Mark 
iii,  35;  Luke  xxii,  42.  Is  there  any  other  principle  as 
comprehensive  and  effective  for  our  own  lives?  Matt, 
vi,  10;  vii,  21;  xviii,  14;  xxi,  31.  What  place  did  "the 
will  of  God"  fill  in  Paul's  life?  Col.  i,  i,  9;  iv,  12;  Rom. 
i,  10;  xii,  2;  XV,  32;  Eph.  v,  17;  vi,  6;  II  Cor.  viii,  5. 
This  is  the  New  Testament  ideal.  Acts  xiii,  22,  36;  Col. 
iv,  12;  Eph.  V,  17;  Heb.  xiii,  21. 

(2)  The  relation  of  Christ  to  God  and  man.    vi,  41-51 

Q  41  The  Jews  therefore  murmured  concerning  him, 
^^  because  he  said,  I  am  the  bread  which  came  down  out 
of  heaven.  42.  And  they  said.  Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  son 
of  Joseph,  whose  father  and  mother  we  know?  how  doth 
he  now  say,  I  am  come  down  out  of  heaven?  43  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Murmtir  not  among  your- 
selves. 44  No  man  can  come  to  me,  except  the  Father 
that  sent  me  draw  him:  and  I  will  raise  him  up  in  the  last 
day.  45  It  is  written  in  the  prophets.  And  they  shall  all 
be  taught  of  God.  Every  one  that  hath  heard  from  the 
Father,  and  hath  learned,  cometh  imto  me.  46  Not  that 
any  man  hath  seen  the  Father,  save  he  that  is  from  God, 
he  hath  seen  the  Father.  47  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you 
He  that  believeth  hath  eternal  life.  48  I  am  the  bread  of 
life.  49  Your  fathers  ate  the  manna  in  the  wilderness, 
and  they  died.  50  This  is  the  bread  which  cometh  down 
out  of  heaven,  that  a  man  may  eat  thereof,  and  not  die. 


Ch.  VI.  41-51  THE  PRELUDE  69 

51  I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven: 
if  any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever:  yea  and 
the  bread  which  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  for  the  life  of  the 
world. 

Naturally,  those  who  thought  they  knew  God  and  who 
did  not  recognize  Him  in  Christ  were  affronted  at  Jesus' 
claim.  They  knew  His  origin.  How  absurd  that  a  man 
whose  parents  they  knew  should  be  the  revelation  of 
God  to  men!  Well,  they  knew  neither  His  origin  nor 
His  character,  both  of  which  supported  His  claim.  But 
Jesus  referred  to  neither.  He  made  no  appeal  to  the  facts 
of  His  birth  or  the  works  of  His  ministry  or  the  qualities 
of  His  character.  He  simply  offered  Himself  once  more. 
His  own  personality,  the  spirit  in  Him,  His  life,  went  forth 
from  Him  beseechingly,  searchingly  after  any  man  who 
had  a  longing  for  the  true  and  living  God.  He  sought 
response.  He  called  to  the  souls  about  Him.  Would 
they  answer?  If  not,  what  could  He  do?  More  miracles 
would  be  not  signs,  but  confusion.  He  was  doing  His 
utmost.  But  they  would  not  see,  they  would  not  hear. 
Loaves,  manna,  Moses — things — these  were  intelligible  to 
them,  but  life — no. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Here  is  the  old  and  ever  present  confusion.  How 
can  that  which  is  believed  to  be  natural  in  its  origin  be 
supernatural  in  its  character?  Is  this  after  all  any  problem 
at  all? 

2.  These  people  evidently  knew  nothing  of  the  virgin 
birth.  And  yet  they  felt  that  Christ's  claims  were  inad- 
missible. How  then  do  people  nowadays  make  the 
problem  of  Christ  any  easier  by  denying  the  virgin  birth? 
Do  they  not,  on  the  other  hand,  make  it  even  harder? 
The  problem  is  there  to  be  solved  in  either  case. 

3.  If  "He  that  believeth  hath  eternal  life"  and  "This 
is  hfe  eternal  that  they  should  know  Thee,  the  only  true 
God  and  Him  Whom  Thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus  Christ," 
then  it  follows,  does  it  not,  that  belief  is  the  knowledge  of 
God  and  Christ.  Faith  and  knowledge  are  not  two  dif- 
ferent things.  Faith  is  a  certain  kind  of  knowledge. 
Try  and  see  whether  knowledge  and  faith  are  not  in  large 


70  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VI.  52-59 

areas  of  our  thought  indistinguishable.  How  do  we 
know  that  Napoleon  ever  lived?  How  do  we  know  that 
there  is  a  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro?  How  do  we  know  that 
water  can  be  separated  into  hydrogen  and  oxygen  gases? 
Is  not  most  of  what  we  call  knowledge  really  faith? 

4.  Even  when  knowledge  is  just  hard,  first-hand  knowl- 
edge, which  it  almost  never  is,  and  when  faith  transcends 
it,  that  does  not  make  the  faith  suspicious  or  unreliable. 
What  right  has  hard,  first-hand  knowledge  to  say,  "You 
must  stop  here"?  None.  It  can  only  demand  that  as 
faith  leaves  it,  faith  should  be  headed  right.  What  is 
faith  but  "going  on  in  the  same  way  with  knowledge  and 
keeping  on  when  knowledge  leaves  off"? 

(3)  The  appropriation  by  the  individual  of  the  Son's  life, 
vi,  52-59 

(Q)  52  The  Jews  therefore  strove  with  one  another,  say- 
^^  ing,  How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?  53  Jesus 
therefore  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you. 
Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man  and  drink  his 
blood,  ye  have  not  life  in  yourselves.  54  He  that  eateth 
my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  hath  eternal  life;  and  I 
will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  55  For  my  flesh  is  meat 
indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  56  He  that  eateth 
my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him. 
57  As  the  living  Father  sent  me,  and  I  live  because  of  the 
Father;  so  he  that  eateth  me,  he  also  shall  live  because 
of  me.  58  This  is  the  bread  which  came  down  out  of 
heaven:  not  as  the  fathers  ate,  and  died;  he  that  eateth 
this  bread  shall  live  for  ever.  59  These  things  said  he  in 
the  synagogue,  as  he  taught  in  Capernaum. 

What  was  metaphor  to  Jesus  was  gross  materialism  to 
the  Jews.  He  was  bending  human  language  to  the  limit. 
Any  true  soul  listening  to  Him  must  have  felt  the  strain 
and  terrific  tension  of  the  human  words  which  Jesus 
was  expanding  a'^nd  filli-ng,  and  through  which  He  was 
trying  to  pour  life  into  human  spirits.  The  language 
could  stand  no  more  than  Jesus  piled  upon  it.  Again 
and  again  He  turned  it  about  and  strained  it  to  the  utmost 
but  to  the  blind  terms  of  color  are  meaningless,  to  the 
deaf  terms  of  sound.  The  words  said  nothing  more  to 
the  Jews  than  they  said.     "The  flesh  of  Jesus."    What 


Ch.  VI.  52-59  THE  PRELUDE  71 

could  that  mean  but  the  tissues  and  muscles  of  His  body. 
"The  blood  of  Jesus."  What  could  that  mean  but  the 
liquid  that  flowed  through  His  veins.  To  be  sure.  What 
is  the  little  shoe  of  a  lost  child  but  a  piece  of  animal  skin? 
What  is  a  lover's  flower  but  a  botanical  plant?  What  is 
an  oration  but  atmospheric  vibration,  and  a  great  painting 
but  a  cloth  with  daubs  on  it?  What  is  a  nation's  flag 
but  a  colored  rag  for  which  imbeciles  sometimes  die, 
supposing  that  it  can  be  anything  more  than  a  rag?  ''The 
words  that  I  speak  are  spirit  and  life,"  said  Jesus.  If  we 
do  not  see  that  they  are,  the  proof  cannot  be  found  in 
chemistry  or  biology  or  physics. 

"What,  moreover,  is  it  to  eat  His  flesh  and  drink  His 
blood  but  to  share  His  sufferings  and  to  imitate  that  walk 
which  he  showed  in  the  flesh." — St.  Bernard. 

"We  dwell  in  Him  since  we  are  His  members.  He, 
moreover,  dwells  in  us  since  we  are  His  temple." — Augustine. 

"He  that  eateth  this  bread  shall  live  forever."  This 
is  the  last  word.  Again  as  often  before  He  makes  the 
personal,  individual  appeal.  Is  there  no  honest,  simple 
heart  in  the  crowd  who  will  understand?  vv.  35,  37,  40, 
45,  47,  50,  SI,  54,  56,  58. 

"Thou  Christ,  my  soul  is  hurt  and  bruised, 
With  words  the  scholars  wear  me  out. 
Brain  of  me  weary  and  confused, 
Thee  and  myself  and  all  I  doubt. 

"And  must  I  back  to  darkness  go 
Because  I  cannot  say  their  creed? 
I  know  not  what  I  think.     I  know 
Only  that  Thou  art  all  I  n^ed." 

"I  am  the  bread  of  life."  What  is  He  not?  iv,  26; 
vi,  35;  viii,  12,  23, 58;  X,  7,  9,  II,  14;  xi,  25;  xiv,  6;  xv,  i,  5. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

I.  Is  there  any  way  of  breaking  through  such  materialism 
of  thought  as  Jesus  met  in  the  Jews  except  by  doing  as 
Jesus  did,  namely  by  piling  up  on  it  a  greater  weight  of 
dij65cult  truth?  Do  we  not  sometimes  make  the  mistake 
of  trying  to  make  belief  so  easy  that  there  comes  to  b6 


72  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VI.  60-71 

next  to  nothing  to  it?  Is  it  not  after  all  far  easier  to  believe 
God  boldly?  A  fearless  leap  onward  may  carry  us  safe 
and  deep  into  the  joy  of  God,  while  a  timid  little  step 
will  leave  us  with  feeble  and  pitiful  uncertainty  just  by 
the  spot  we  started  from.  Believe  bravely  with  big  be- 
lief. "The  Gospel  of  Power  and  Confidence,"  exclaimed 
an  earnest  Christian  man  in  one  of  the  belligerent  Euro- 
pean nations,  "in  our  long  period  of  peace  here  and  there 
became  weak  and  sentimental,  but  now  through  the  war, 
the  old  and  heroic  forces  of  Christian  faith  have  once 
more  broken  through  the  outward  forms  of  conventional 
piety  and  become  part  of  the  conscious  life  of  the  Church 
and  the  individual  believer.  The  great  facts  that  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  is  not  only  the  Prince  of 
Peace  but  also  the  Mighty  God,  who  faithfully  sacrifices 
Himself  in  behalf  of  the  brethren  and  victoriously  con- 
quers death:  these  certainties  of  our  faith  are  now  sources 
of  strength  for  the  fighting  nation.  The  war  has  not  only 
awakened  religious  life,  but  strengthened  it;  it  has  made 
stalwart  men  and  done  away  with  all  sanctimoniousness 
and  self-complacency,  and  thus  the  present  time  reminds 
the  historian  of  those  heroic  ages  when  our  and  your 
forefathers  expressed  their  faith  in  God  without  conven- 
tionality, but  in  the  freshness  of  true  inward  life  firmly 
planted  their  feet  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages." 

2.  "Eating  flesh  and  drinking  blood."  The  Mass  and 
the  doctrine  of  Transubstantiation  is  one  way  of  under- 
standing these  words.  The  Quakers,  with  no  sacrament, 
and  sitting  in  silence  while  the  invisible  Saviour  nourishes 
their  souls  within,  understand  them  differently.  Once 
again  let  us  ask,  what  is  language  and  what  is  it  for? 
Is  it  the  source  or  the  product  of  reality? 

3.  What  do  you  conceive  life  to  be?  Are  there  not 
degrees  and  kinds  of  life?  What  is  it  to  live  "because 
of  the  Father"? 

d.  The  issue,    vi,  60-71 

^  60  Many  therefore  of  his  disciples,  when  they  heard 
^^  thisy  said,  This  is  a  hard  saying;  who  can  hear  it?  61 
But  Jesus  knowing  in  himself  that  his  disciples  mxirmured 
at  this,  said  unto  them,  Doth  this  cause  you  to  stumble? 


Ch.  VI.  60-71  THE  PRELUDE  73 

62  What  then  if  ye  should  behold  the  Son  of  man  ascend- 
ing where  he  was  before?  63  It  is  the  spirit  that  giveth 
life;  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing;  the  words  that  I  have 
spoken  unto  you  are  spirit,  and  are  life.  64  But  there  are 
some  of  you  that  believe  not.  For  Jesus  knew  from  the 
beginning  who  they  were  that  believed  not,  and  who  it  was 
that  should  betray  him.  65  And  he  said,  For  this  cause 
have  I  said  unto  you,  that  no  man  can  come  unto  me,  except 
it  be  given  unto  him  of  the  Father. 

(2q\  66  Upon  this  many  of  his  disciples  went  back,  and 
^^  walked  no  more  with  him.  67  Jesus  said  therefore  unto 
the  twelve.  Would  ye  also  go  away?  68  Simon  Peter  answered 
him,  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life.  69  And  we  have  believed  and  know  that  thou 
art  the  Holy  One  of  God.  70  Jesus  answered  them.  Did 
not  I  choose  you  the  twelve,  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil?  71 
Now  he  spoke  of  Judas  the  son  of  Simon  Iscariot,  for  he  it 
was  that  should  betray  him,  being  one  of  the  twelve. 

There  are  here  (i)  a  restatement  of  the  conditions  of 
discipleship,  vi,  60-65  and  (2)  the  result  in  open  separation 
and  secret  unfaithfulness,  vi,  66-71. 

vi,  60-65.  Even  the  disciples  were  not  far  enough  ad- 
vanced in  their  spiritual  discernment  to  understand.  They 
spoke  of  their  perplexity  among  themselves  and  Jesus 
felt  in  His  spirit  their  want  of  faith.  "You  are  per- 
plexed," he  said,  "to  see  the  spiritual  back  of  the  material. 
Even  you  had  been  hoping  that  the  material  and  external 
Kingdom  had  come.  What  if  I  go  away?  Then  you 
will  be  perplexed,  will  you  not?  But,  oh,  my  friends, 
it  is  the  spiritual,  the  unseen,  the  eternal  alone  that  is  of 
consequence.  It  is  that  that  I  am  trying  to  bring  to 
you."  Jesus  realized  that  with  many  of  them  He  would 
fail.  But  He  was  undisturbed.  He  would  fulfil  His 
mission  and  those  who  wanted  to  hear  would  hear,  that 
is,  as  He  put  it,  those  would  come  to  whom  it  had 
been  given  by  the  Father.  That  explained  things  to 
Jesus.  Why  God  would  give  it  to  some  rather  than 
others  He  did  not  say.  Indeed,  we  may  question 
whether  the  way  in  which  He  put  it  raised  the  inquiry 
which  troubles  us  as  to  the  seeming  partiality  of  God. 
Was  not  His  form  of  speech  simply  a  way  of  stating  the 
obvious  fact  that  some  hear  and  some  do  not,  without 


74  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VI.  60-71 

raising  the  question  as  to  why  some  do  and  some  do  not? 
That  mystery,  He  says,  is  with  God.  Is  not  that  the 
only  possible  way  to  leave  it?  Can  anyone  say  more 
than  that? 

vi,  66-71.  Peter  says,  "Lord,  to  whom  else  can  we 
go?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life."  Learned 
professors  write  on  the  problem  of  life,  striving  to  throw 
light  upon  it  and  to  find  its  clue,  and  their  books  scarcely 
recognize  the  fact  that  Jesus  ever  existed.  As  for  the 
idea  that  He  has  the  words  of  eternal  life,  many  modern 
philosophers  scout  the  suggestion,  and  others  who  per- 
haps cherish  it  in  their  hearts  do  the  work  of  philosophical 
speculation  utterly  apart  from  any  contribution  of  Jesus 
to  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  life.  Nevertheless, 
what  Peter  said  is  true.  And  the  uneducated  and  little 
children,  and  all  the  great  mass  of  men  and  women,  who 
have  to  live  and  have  no  time  or  faculty  for  speculation 
on  the  philosophy  of  living,  find  in  Jesus  the  way  and 
the  truth  and  the  life,  and  are  given  guidance  and  strength 
and  power  as  they  seek,  under  Jesus'  teaching  and  empower- 
ing, to  love  God  with  all  their  mind  and  heart  and  their 
neighbor  as  themselves. 

"Saving  faith,"  says  Luther,  "is  not  an  intellectual 
assent  to  a  system  of  doctrine  superior  to  reason,  but  a 
personal  trust  on  God  in  Christ,  the  appropriation  of 
God's  personal  word  and  promise  of  redeeming  love." — 
Robertson  Smith. 

"If  one  wishes  to  understand  this  crisis  it  is  enough 
for  him  to  cast  a  glance  at  the  Christianity  of  to-day. 
It  declares  and  thinks  itself  Christian,  but  material  instincts 
have  more  and  more  the  preponderance  over  religious  and 
moral  needs.  Soon  the  Gospel  will  not  answer  any  longer 
to  the  aspirations  of  the  masses.  The  words,  'You  have 
seen  me  and  believe  not'  will  have  their  application  to 
them  on  a  still  vaster  scale;  and  the  time  will  come  when 
the  great  defection  of  Christendom  will,  for  a  time,  repro- 
duce the  Galilean  catastrophe.  Our  epoch  is  the  true 
commentary  on  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of  St. 
John.''— Godet. 

But  there  is  a  better  word  than  this  from  this  chapter, 
offering  to  hungry  men  the  living  bread  from  heaven. 


Ch.  VT.  60-7I  THE  PRELUDE  76 

Christopher  Harvey's  verses  give  expression  to  it — though 
written  centuries  ago: 

"Love  made  me  welcome;  yet  my  soul  drew  back, 

Guilty  of  dust  and  sin. 
But  quick-eyed  Love,  observing  me  grow  slack, 

From  my  first  entrance  in, 
Drew  nearer  to  me,  sweetly  questioning 

If  I  lacked  anything. 

"  *A  guest,'  I  answered,  'worthy  to  be  here.* 

Love  said,  'You  shall  be  he!' 
*I,  the  unkind,  ungrateful?    Ah,  my  dear, 

I  cannot  look  on  Thee.' 
Love  took  my  hand  and  smiling,  did  reply, 

*  Who  made  the  eyes  but  I? 

"  'Truth,  Lord,  but  I  have  marr'd  them;  let  my  shame 
Go  where  it  doth  deserve? ' 
'And  know  you  not,'  says  Love,  'who  bore  the  blame?' 

'  My  dear,  then  I  will  serve? ' 
'You  must  sit  down,'  says  Love,  'and  taste  my  meat/ 
So  I  did  sit  and  eat." 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Are  the  souls  that  believe  most  in  God  and  who  best 
represent  His  beauty  and  love  troubled  most  or  least  by 
the  diflSculty  of  reconciling  the  facts  of  human  freedom  and 
unbelief  with  the  fact  of  His  sovereignty  and  love?    v.  6$. 

2.  When  men  praise  the  human  in  the  personality  and 
teaching  of  Jesus  and  reject  the  divine,  would  it  not  be 
well  for  them  to  reflect  that  the  contemporaries  of  Jesus 
who  saw  only  the  human  in  His  personality  and  teaching 
abandoned  Him?  We  should  have  no  record  of  the  human 
in  Jesus  but  for  the  faith  of  men  who  saw  in  Him  also  the 
divine.  Humanity  would  have  lost  long  before  this  all 
trace  of  a  merely  human  Christ.  Do  you  believe  this? 
If  you  do,  must  you  not  believe  more  than  this? 

3.  All  that  we  know  of  Simon  is  that  he  was  the  father 
of  Judas.  And  all  that  we  know  of  the  village  of  Kerioth 
is  that  it  was  the  village  of  Judas.  (Iscariot  =  Ish  Kerioth, 
a  man  of  Kerioth.)  Was  it  fair  of  Judas  to  give  his  father 
and  his  town  this  kind  of  an  immortality? 


76  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VI.  60-71 

"To  discover  the  wickedest  of  men,  to  see  the  utmost 
of  human  guilt,  we  must  look,  not  among  the  heathen, 
but  among  those  who  know  God;  not  among  the  profligate, 
dissolute,  abandoned  classes  of  society,  but  among  the 
Apostles.  The  good  that  was  in  Judas  led  him  to 'join 
Christ,  and  kept  him  associated  with  Christ  for  some 
years;  but  the  devil  of  covetousness  that  was  cast  out  for 
a  while  returned  and  brought  with  him  seven  devils  worse 
than  himself.  There  was  everything  in  his  position  to 
win  him  to  unworldliness;  the  men  he  Hved  with  cared 
not  one  whit  for  comforts  or  anything  that  money  could 
buy;  but  instead  of  catching  their  spirit  he  took  advan- 
tage of  their  carelessness.  He  was  in  a  pubUc  position, 
liable  to  detection;  but  this,  instead  of  making  him  honest 
perforce,  made  him  only  the  more  crafty  and  studiedly 
hypocritical.  The  solemn  warnings  of  Christ,  so  far  from 
intimidating  him,  only  made  him  more  skilful  in  evading 
all  good  influence,  and  made  the  road  to  hell  easier.  The 
position  he  enjoyed,  and  by  which  he  might  have  been  for 
ever  enroUed  among  the  foremost  of  mankind,  one  of  the 
twelve  foundations  of  the  eternal  city,  he  so  skilfully 
misused  that  the  greatest  sinner  feels  glad  that  he  has 
yet  not  been  left  to  commit  the  sin  of  Judas.  Had  Judas 
not  followed  Christ  he  could  never  have  attained  the  pin- 
nacle of  infamy  on  which  he  now  for  ever  stands.  In  all 
probabihty  he  would  have  passed  his  days  as  a  small 
trader  with  false  weights  in  the  little  town  of  Kerioth, 
or,  at  the  worst,  might  have  developed  into  an  extor- 
tionous  publican,  and  have  passed  into  oblivion  with  the 
thousands  of  unjust  men  who  have  died  and  been  at  last 
forced  to  let  go  the  money  that  should  long  ago  have 
belonged  to  others.  Or  had  Judas  followed  Christ  truly, 
then  there  lay  before  him  the  noblest  of  all  lives,  the  most 
blessed  of  destinies.  But  he  followed  Christ  and  yet 
took  his  sin  with  him;  and  thence  his  lum,"— Marcus  Dods. 


11.  THE  CONFLICT,    v-xii 

A.  The  Prelude,    v-vi 

B.  The  Great  Controversy,    vii-xii 

I.  The  full  unveiling  of  faith  and  unbelief,  at  Jerusalem. 
vii-x 

a.  The  Feast  of  Tabernacles,     vii,  viii 

(i)  The  circumstances  of  His  visit,    vii,  1-13 

(2)  The  discussions  in  the  midst  of  the  feast. 

vii,  14-36 

(a)  First  scene  in  the  Temple,    vii,  14-24 

(6)  Second   scene  in  the  Temple,     vii, 

25-31 
(c)  Third  scene.     In  the  Temple?    vii, 
32-36 

(3)  The  discussions  on   the  last  day  of  the 

feast,     vii,  37-52 
(a)  The  great  promise  of  Jesus,     vii,  37-39 
(6)  The  effect   of  Jesus'  cry  upon  the 

multitude,     vii,  40-44 
(c)  The  effectof  Jesus'  teach'ng  and  con- 
duct on  the  Sanhedrin.     vii,  45-52 

(4)  The  story  of  the  woman  taken  in  adultery, 

mil,  i-ii 

(5)  Jesus  further  reveals  Himself,     viii,  1 2-20 

(6)  The  spiritual  crisis  in  the  preaching  to 

Israel,     viii,  21-59 

(a)  The  clear  restatement  of  the  object 
of  faith  and  the  results  of  unbelief, 
viii,  21-30 
{b)  Analysis  of  the  character  and  issues 
of   selfish  belief  and  false  Juda- 
ism,   viii.  31-59 
h.  The     Feast    of     Dedication.     The     separation 
accomplished,     ix,  x 

(i)  The  sign.     The  healing  of  the  blind  man. 
ix,  1-12 

(2)  The  judgments  on  the  sign,     ix,  13-24 

(3)  The  beginning  of  the  new  society,    ix,  35-41 

77 


78  THE  CONFLICT 

(4)  The  character  of  the  new  society,    x,  1-2 1 

(5)  Christ's  final  public  testimony  to  Himself 

before  the  Passion,     x,  22-38 

(6)  The  diverse  results,     x,  39-42 

2.  The  decisive  judgment,    xi.  xiii 

a.  The  final  sign  and  its  result.    Lazarus,     xi,  1-57 

b.  The  close  of  Christ's  public  ministry  in  judgment. 

xii 
(i)  The  feast  at  Bethany,     xii,  i-ii 

(2)  The  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem,    xii, 

12-19 

(3)  The  request  of  the  Greeks.    The  voice  from 

heaven  and  the  final  warning,     xii,  20-36 

(4)  The  judgment  of  John,     xii,  37-43 

(5)  The  judgment  of  Christ,    xii,  44-50 


Ch.  VII.  1-13        GREAT  CONTROVERSY  79 


B.  The  Great  Controversy,    vii-xii 

I .  The  full  unveiling  of  faith  and  unbelief  at  Jerusalem,    vii-x 

a.  The  Feast  of  Tabernacles,     vii,  viii 

(i)  The  circumstances  of  His  visit,     vii,  1-13 

^  n  And  after  these  things  Jesus  walked  in  Galilee: 
^^  •  for  he  would  not  walk  in  Judaea,  because  the  Jews 
sought  to  kill  him.  2  Now  the  feast  of  the  Jews,  the  feast 
of  tabernacles,  was  at  hand.  3  His  brethren  therefore 
said  unto  him,  Depart  hence,  and  go  into  Judaea,  that  thy 
disciples  also  may  behold  thy  works  which  thou  doest.  4 
For  no  man  doeth  anything  in  secret,  and  himself  seeketh 
to  be  known  openly.  If  thou  doest  these  things,  manifest 
thyself  to  the  world.  5  For  even  his  brethren  did  not  be- 
lieve on  him.  6  Jesus  therefore  saith  unto  them,  My  time 
is  not  yet  come ;  but  your  time  is  always  ready.  7  The  world 
cannot  hate  you;  but  me  it  hateth,  because  I  testify  of  it, 
that  its  works  are  evil.  8  Go  ye  up  unto  the  feast:  I  go 
not  up  unto  this  feast;  because  my  time  is  not  yet  fulfilled. 
9  And  having  said  these  things  unto  them,  he  abode  still 
in  Galilee. 

10  But  when  his  brethren  were  gone  up  unto  the  feast, 
then  went  he  also  up,  not  publicly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret. 
II  The  Jews  therefore  sought  him  at  the  feast,  and  said, 
Where  is  he?  12  And  there  was  much  murmuring  among 
the  multitudes  concerning  him:  some  said.  He  is  a  good 
man;  others  said.  Not  so,  but  he  leadeth  the  multitude 
astray.  13  Yet  no  man  spake  openly  of  him  for  fear  of  the 
Jews. 

vii,  1-9.  Six  months  have  passed  since  the  events 
recorded  in  the  sixth  chapter.  Jesus  was  not  idle.  He 
walked  in  Galilee.  What  happened  during  these  months 
we  read  in  part  in  Matt,  xii-xvii,  xxi.  The  significance 
of  two  sentences  here  {vv.  5,  8)  is  brought  out  more  clearly 
if  we  insert  "yet"  before  "believe"  in  v.  5  and  before 
"unto"  in  v.  8.  His  brethren  came  in  time  to  believe 
on  Him  and  to  die  for  Him.  And  He  went  up  to  the 
feast.  The  central  verse  is  ?;.  7.  The  want  of  faith  of 
His  brethren  in  Him  was  a  want  of  sympathy  with  Him. 


80  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VII.  1-13 

It  was  the  conflict  of  two  antagonistic  orders.  "You 
and  the  world  are  in  sympathy,"  He  told  them.  "I  and 
the  world  are  at  enmity.  I  point  out  its  evil,  the  evil 
of  the  dead  order  of  life  apart  from  God.  Therefore, 
it  hates  me  instead  of  correcting  its  evil  and  gaining  life 
from  God."  So  far  as  we  enter  into  Christ's  spirit  and 
the  world  remains  unchanged,  the  same  opposition  exists 
between  us  and  the  world  with  its  passing  and  unsatis- 
fying interests.     I  John  iii,  1-3. 

vii,  10-13.  Jesus  went  up  to  the  feast.  Compare  the 
four  visits,  ii,  13,  In  power,  v,  i.  As  a  pilgrim,  vii,  10, 
As  a  solitary  stranger,  xii,  12,  In  triumph  to  His  death. 
His  name  was  the  common  subject  of  conversation.  The 
Jews,  i.e.,  the  leaders  of  the  national  party,  whom  John 
calls  by  this  title,  were  still  weighing  the  case.  His  visit 
was  to  fix  their  attitude  toward  Him.  The  multitudes  of 
strangers  were  divided.  The  humbler  folk  said,  "He  is 
a  good  man."  The  more  pretentious,  separating  them- 
selves from  the  "multitude,"  said,  "He  is  a  deceiver." 
The  whole  world  now  says,  "He  was  a  good  man."  The 
hearts  of  the  simple  people  discerned  what  was  hid  from 
the  great  and  wise.  And  yet  the  great  and  wise  may  have 
simple  hearts  if  they  will.  "He  is  a  good  man."  If  He 
is.  He  is  more  than  a  man,  for  He  made  claims  that  a 
good  man  could  make  only  if  they  were  true. 

"For  fear  of  the  Jews."  Fear  is  the  dominating  human 
motive.  Lies,  cowardice,  deceptions,  evil  customs,  live 
only  upon  fear.  If  unafraid,  what  neglected  duties  would 
we  do  to-day? 

Questions  for  Reflection  and/Discussion 

1.  Was  the  unbelief  of  Christ's  own  brethren  in  Him, 
in  all  probabiHty,  a  difficulty  to  the  disciples  in  their 
belief?  If  His  own  brethren  disbeheved,  why  should 
others  believe?  Would  not  brothers  be  able  to  judge 
best  upon  His  claims? 

2.  Does  the  world  hate  Christ?  Could  there  be  war 
if  it  did  not? 

3.  If  Jesus  was  not  more  than  a  good  waw,  was  he  a 
good  man? 


Ch.  VII.  14-24       GREAT  CONTROVERSY  81 

(2)  The  discussions  in  the  midst  of  the  feast,    vii,  14-36 

(a)  First  scene  in  the  Temple,    vii,  14-24 

(o^  14  But  when  it  was  now  the  midst  of  the  feast  Jesus 
^-^  went  up  into  the  temple,  and  taught.  15  The  Jews  there- 
fore marveled,  saying,  How  knoweth  this  man  letters, 
having  never  learned?  16  Jesus  therefore  answered  them, 
and  said,  My  teaching  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me. 
17  If  any  man  willeth  to  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the 
teaching,  whether  it  is  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  from 
myself.  18  He  that  speaketh  from  himself  seeketh  his 
own  glory:  but  he  that  seeketh  the  glory  of  him  that  sent 
him,  the  same  is  true,  and  no  unrighteousness  is  in  him. 
19  Did  not  Moses  give  you  the  law,  and  yet  none  of  you 
doeth  the  law?  Why  seek  ye  to  kill  me?  20  The  multi- 
tude answered,  Thou  hast  a  demon:  who  seeketh  to  kill 
thee?  21  Jesus  answered  and  said  imto  them,  I  did 
one  work,  and  ye  all  marvel  because  thereof.  22  Moses 
hath  given  you  circumcision  (not  that  it  is  of  Moses,  but 
of  the  fathers);  and  on  the  sabbath  ye  circtmicise  a  man. 
23.  If  a  man  receiveth  circumcision  on  the  sabbath,  that 
the  law  of  Moses  may  not  be  broken;  are  ye  wroth  with 
me,  because  I  made  a  man  every  whit  whole  on  the  sab- 
bath? 24  Judge  not  according  to  appearance,  but  judge 
righteous  judgment. 

This  was  Jesus'  first  appearance  as  a  public  teacher  in 
Jerusalem,  and  the  Jews,  that  is,  the  leaders  of  the  nation, 
were  amazed  at  what  they  heard.  They  were  conven- 
tionally educated  men.  The  superiority  of  Jesus  to  their 
conventions  astonished  them.  He  answered  the  mar- 
veling by  a  statement  (v.  16),  by  an  invitation  (:;.  17),  by 
an  argument  {v.  18),  by  a  condemnation  (v.  19).  The 
country  people  answered  Him  in  v.  20,  but  He  ignored 
their  ignorant  query  and  turned  to  the  Jerusalem  leaders 
and  pointed  out  to  them  that  their  objection  to  the  miracle 
He  had  wrought  on  His  previous  visit  (ch.  v)  was  based 
on  principles  that  condemned  Moses  also  and  the  Old 
Testament  law.  The  law  of  circumcision  which  required 
the  rite  on  the  eighth  day  was  not  allowed  to  conflict 
with  the  law  of  the  Sabbath.  If  the  latter  could  be  set 
aside  for  the  former,  how  absurd  that  He  could  not  legit- 
imately make  a  man  every  whit  whole.     "If  partial  heal- 


82  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VII.  25-31 

ing,  of  which  circumcision  is  the  sjonbol,  why  not  com- 
plete?" But  men  in  all  ages  have  strained  at  gnats  and 
swallowed  camels.  They  have  bound  themselves  with 
chains  and  been  afraid  of  freedom.  "You  are  great 
for  the  law,"  He  said.  "Well,  obey  it.  It  bids  you 
to  judge  righteously."    Deut.  i,  16. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  can  be  argued  from  Jesus'  style  of  preaching 
with  regard  to  preaching  to-day?  T)id  he  adapt  language 
and  doctrine  to  His  audience? 

2.  Is  pure  unselfishness  a  guarantee  of  ability  to  discern 
the  truth  and  of  fidelity  in  presenting  it? 

3.  Did  the  multitude  not  know  that  some  people  were 
actually  seeking  to  kill  Jesus? 

{b)  Second  scene  in  the  Temple,    vii,  25-31 

(^  25  Some  therefore  of  them  of  Jerusalem  said,  Is  not 
^-^  this  he  whom  they  seek  to  kill?  26  And  lo,  he  speaketh 
openly,  and  they  say  nothing  unto  him.  Can  it  be  that  the 
rulers  indeed  know  that  this  is  the  Christ?  27  Howbeit  we 
know  this  man  whence  he  is:  but  when  the  Christ  cometh, 
no  one  knoweth  whence  he  is.  28  Jesus  therefore  cried 
in  the  temple,  teaching  and  saying,  Ye  both  know  me,  and 
know  whence  I  am:  and  I  am  not  come  of  myself,  but  he 
that  sent  me  is  true,  whom  ye  know  not.  29  I  know  him; 
because  I  am  from  him,  and  he  sent  me.  30  They  sought 
therefore  to  take  him:  and  no  man  laid  his  hand  on  him 
because  his  hour  was  not  yet  come.  31  But  of  the  multi- 
tude many  believed  on  him;  and  they  said.  When  the  Christ 
shall  come,  will  he  do  more  signs  than  those  which  this 
man  hath  done? 

This  is  the  second  discussion  of  the  feast.  It  was  also 
in  the  temple.  The  Jerusalemites  who  knew  how  bitter 
the  priests  felt  toward  Jesus  were  surprised  at  His  boldness. 
Could  it  be,  they  asked,  that  the  priests  had  looked  into 
the  case  and  discovered  that  this  was  the  Messiah?  No, 
they  replied  to  their  own  question,  it  could  not  be,  for 
they  knew  His  origin,  and  the  true  Messiah  would  appear 
suddenly  and  no  man  would  know  His  origin.  Jesus 
felt  all  this  debate  and  answered  it  openly,  as  ever,  vii, 


Ch.  VII.  32-36       GREAT  CONTROVERSY  83 

37;  xii,  44;  xviii,  20.  "Superficially  you  speak  the 
truth,  but  really  you  don't  know  my  origin,  for  God  you 
know  not  and  it  was  He  Who  sent  me."  This  claim 
aroused  their  anger,  and  they  sought  to  take  Him,  but 
there  were  some  on  whom  it  had  the  opposite  effect.  They 
began  to  believe,  and  this  belief  was  not  due  to  signs, 
though  it  recalled  the  signs  which  had  been  done.  It 
was  due  to  the  steady  offer  and  pressure  of  the  Messiah's 
life,  of  the  Person  of  Christ  upon  their  personalities.  Some 
at  last  began  to  understand  and  trust  Jesus, — not  His 
signs,  not  His  doctrine,  but  Jesus  Himself.  That  is  all 
we  need.  His  deeds  and  His  words  are  good,  but  the 
soul  cries  still,  "Thou,  0  Christ,  art  all  I  want." 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Was  it  right  for  Jesus  to  expose  Himself  to  the  cer- 
tainty of  arrest  which  He  knew  would  result  in  His  death? 
Does  a  man  not  have  the  right  deliberately  to  sacrifice 
Himself  for  a  cause?  x,  18.  Does  not  this  right  some- 
times become  a  duty?    Was  it  not  so  with  Jesus? 

2.  If  Jesus  had  told  these  people  of  His  miraculous 
birth  would  they  have  been  any  more  likely  to  accept 
His  divine  character? 

3.  Is  the  principle  that  "a  man  is  immortal  until  his 
work  is  done"  a  legitimate  principle  to  act  upon?  Does 
it  justify,  a  man  in  going  into  danger?  May  a  man  in 
the  course  of  duty  feel  the  confidence  that  he  is  perfectly 
safe? 

(c)  Third  scene.    In  the  Temple?    vii,  32-36 

^  32  The  Pharisees  heard  the  multitude  murmuring 
^^  these  things  concerning  him;  and  the  chief  priests  and 
the  Pharisees  sent  officers  to  take  him.  33  Jesus  there- 
fore said,  Yet  a  little  while  am  I  with  you,  and  I  go  unto 
him  that  sent  me.  34  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not 
find  me:  and  where  I  am,  ye  cannot  come.  35  The  Jews 
therefore  said  among  themselves.  Whither  will  this  man 
go  that  we  shall  not  find  him?  will  he  go  unto  the  Dispersion 
among  the  Greeks,  and  teach  the  Greeks?  36  What 
is  this  word  that  he  said,  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not 
find  me;   and  where  I  am,  ye  cannot  come? 


84  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VII.  32-36 

This  is  the  third  scene  of  the  discussion.  Jesus  announces 
the  chasm  which  His  enemies  are  creating  between  Him 
and  them  for  eternity,  and  they  give  the  first  active  expres- 
sion to  the  hostility  which  issued  in  His  death.  It  was 
the  beginning  of  a  popular  faith  in  Jesus  which  brought 
matters  to  a  head.  When  the  ofiicers  came  to  take  Him, 
He  said,  not  to  them,  but  to  the  people,  "Don't  trouble, 
I  am  going  away  of  myself  in  a  little  while.  You  shall 
seek  Me  without  avail  then,  not  for  arrest  but  for  succor. 
It  will  be  in  vain.  Where  I  am  now  you  will  not  come. 
Of  course,  you  can't  then. "  The  Jews  said  among  them- 
selves, leaving  the  multitudes  out  in  their  consciousness 
of  a  monopoly  of  reUgious  privilege :  '  *  How  absurd !  Where 
will  He  go?  To  the  Jews  out  among  the  Gentiles?  No 
Messiah  would  do  that."  But  the  words  haunt  them, 
and  they  go  away  asking,  "What  was  that?  What  did 
He  mean?"  How  eagerly  He  would  have  told  them! 
How  plainly  He  already  told  them!  They  could  not  see 
because  they  would  not.  That  is  the  cause  of  our  blind- 
ness, too. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  is  your  estimate  of  the  real  character  of  the 
Pharisees?  Would  it  be  a  slander  upon  trustees,  deacons, 
elders,  or  vestrymen  of  our  churches  to-day  to  liken  them 
to  the  Pharisees?  If  Christ  were  to  come  again  to-day,  in 
some  manner  analogous  to  His  first  coming,  how  would  He 
be  received  by  the  different  classes  in  our  churches? 

2.  The  obscurest  and  most  unlikely  hiding  place  of 
Christ  the  Jews  thought  would  be  among  the  Jews  scat- 
tered in  foreign  lands.  Is  our  attitude  toward  foreign 
missions  such  that  Christ  at  work  among  the  foreign 
missions  would  be  outside  of  our  world? 

3.  Are  not  words  that  people  do  not  understand  or 
accept  at  the  time  they  were  spoken,  often  the  very  words 
that  haunt  their  memories  and  give  them  unrest  and 
ultimately  convince  them? 


Ch.  VII.  37-39      GREAT  CONTROVERSY  85 

(3)  The  discussions  on  the  last  day  of  the  feast,    vii,  37-52 

(a)  The  great  promise  of  Jesus,     vii,  37-39 

Q\  37  Now  on  the  last  day,  the  great  day  of  the  feast, 
^-^  Jesus  stood  and  cried,  saying.  If  any  man  thirst,  let 
him  come  unto  me  and  drink.  38  He  that  believeth  on 
me,  as  the  scripture  hath  said,  from  within  him  shall  flow 
rivers  of  living  water.  39  But  this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit, 
which  they  that  believed  on  him  were  to  receive:  for  the 
Spirit  was  not  yet  given ;  because  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified. 

The  Feast  of  Tabernacles  lasted  eight  days.  The 
eighth  was  the  great  day.  On  the  other  seven  days  at 
the  time  of  the  morning  sacrifice  water  was  brought  in 
the  Golden  Pitcher  from  the  Pool  of  Siloam  for  a  liba- 
tion while  Isa.  xii,  3  was  sung.  The  whole  feast  was 
a  commemoration  of  the  wilderness  life,  and  this  libation 
typified  the  water  from  the  rock,  but  also  looked  forward 
to  the  fuller  blessing  that  was  expected.  That  water 
had  always  been  so  regarded.  Ezek.  xlvii,  1-12;  Joel 
iii,  18;  I  Cor.  x,  4.  On  the  eighth  day  the  procession 
moved  out  to  the  pool  as  on  other  days,  only  that  day  the 
Golden  Pitcher  was  brought  back  empty,  signifying  the 
imfulfilled  expectation,  the  longing  of  the  nation  for  the 
true  and  living  water.  It  was  on  that  day  that  Jesus 
stood  in  the  temple  or  by  the  way  and  watched  the  pro- 
cession pass,  and  as  it  passed  and  He  noticed  the  unful- 
filled expectation,  the  longings  still  unsatisfied,  He  cried 
aloud,  "Oh,  come  to  Me.  Here  it  is,  the  living  water. 
No  one  need  be  unsatisfied  more."  He  offers  to  satisfy 
the  individual  desire,  to  give  a  personal  blessing  which 
will  be  an  energy  of  usefulness  and  which  will  use  the 
whole  man  in  the  service  of  God.  It  was  a  wonderful 
word.  It  strikes  home  to  John's  deepest  soul.  He  tells 
in  V.  39  what  in  after  years  he  came  to  see  that  it  meant. 

"We  cannot  expect  our  Faith  to  become  a  power  in 
the  intellectual  life  of  the  nation  unless  we  are  enabled 
to  show  that  the  profoundest  results  attained  in  human 
life  and  in  history  coalesce  in  the  Faith  and  from  it  receive 
energy  and  consecration." — Harnack, 


THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  MI,  40-44 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Would  not  this  scene  make  a  wonderful  subject  for 
a  painting?  Imagine  the  different  types  in  the  procession, 
their  thoughts  and  longings,  and  the  effect  of  Christ's  words. 

2.  Why  should  the  stream  of  living  water  be  repre- 
sented as  flowing  from  within  the  beheving  man?  Does 
faith  make  a  man  a  boundless  giver  and  doer?  Is  the 
gift  of  life  also  the  gift  of  giving  life? 

3.  What  does  the  New  Testament  teach  of  the  relation 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  Jesus?  vii,  37;  xiv,  16,  26;  xv,  26; 
xvi,  7;  XX,  22;  Gal.  iv,  6;  Rom.  viii,  9;  Phil,  i,  19;  I 
Peter  i,  11;  Rom.  xv,  16. 

4.  Can  it  be  that  still  the  Spirit  is  not  given  in  individual 
lives  because  Jesus  is  not  yet  glorified  in  them? 

(b)  The  effect  of  Jesus'  cry  upon  the  multitude,    vii,  40~44 

(30)  40  Some  of  the  multitude  therefore,  when  they  heard 
^^  these  words,  said,  This  is  of  a  truth  the  prophet.  41 
Others  said.  This  is  the  Christ.  But  some  said.  What,  doth 
the  Christ  come  out  of  Galilee?  42  Hath  not  the  scripture 
said  that  the  Christ  cometh  of  the  seed  of  David,  and  from 
Bethlehem,  the  village  where  David  was?  43  So  there 
arose  a  division  in  the  multitude  because  of  him.  44  And 
some  of  them  would  have  taken  him;  but  no  man  laid 
hands  on  him. 

The  effects  of  Jesus'  cry  upon  the  multitudes  were 
various.  Many  said,  "Of  a  truth  the  Prophet"  (i,  21; 
Deut.  xviii,  15);  others,  "The  Messiah."  Others,  "But 
He  came  from  Galilee."  So  there  was  an  excited  dispute, 
and  the  fanatic  party  would  have  arrested  Him  at  once. 
It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  Jesus  never  removed 
the  popular  misapprehension  as  to  His  birthplace.  He 
attached  no  value  to  a  faith  that  rested  on  mechanical 
considerations.  He  had  fulfilled  all  the  details  of  pre- 
diction as  to  the  Messiah,  but  He  made  nothing  of  it. 
If  people  had  any  gleam  of  spiritual  desire  Jesus  went 
any  length  to  help  them,  but  when  they  merely  conjured 
with  externalistic  arguments  or  wanted  to  measure  spiritual 
things  with  a  foot-rule.  He  had  no  word  to  say.    Life  in 


Ch.  VIT.  45-52      GREAT  CONTROVERSY  -    87 

God  and  with  God  which  He  was  offering  men  was  above 
birthplaces  and  provinces.  It  was  for  the  soul  that 
stretched  Godwards.  To  save  a  soul  the  Saviour  offered 
all.    For  such  a  soul  He  would  cross  the  universe. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Once  again  let  us  ask,  If  a  man  does  not  recognize 
Jesus  just  by  looking  at  Him  and  hearing  Him,  what 
evidence  can  convince  him? 

2.  The  same  facts  do  not  mean  the  same  thing  to  dif- 
ferent people.  Yet  people  talk  as  though  facts  were  the 
truth  or  the  sure  evidence  of  truth.  But  facts  are  the 
truth  only  when  truly  related  and  interpreted.  How  can 
we  be  sure  of  getting  the  truth  out  of  facts? 

3.  If  any  of  the  people,  honestly  desiring  to  find  the 
truth,  had  asked  Jesus  where  he  was  born  and  whether 
He  "fulfilled"  the  scripture,  Micah  v,  2,  which  they 
had  in  mind,  what  would  He  have  said  to  them? 

(c)  The  effect   of  Jesus'   teaching  and   conduct   on   the 
Sanhedrin.     vii,  45-52 

(p\  45  The  officers  therefore  came  to  the  chief  priests  and 
^^  Pharisees;  and  they  said  unto  them,  Why  did  ye  not 
bring  him?  46  The  officers  answered,  Never  man  so 
spake.  47  The  Pharisees  therefore  answered  them,  Are 
ye  also  led  astray?  48  Hath  any  of  the  rulers  believed 
on  him,  or  of  the  Pharisees?  49  But  this  multitude  that 
knoweth  not  the  law  are  accursed.  50  Nicodemus  saith 
imto  them  (he  that  came  to  him  before,  being  one  of  them), 
51  Doth  our  law  judge  a  man,  except  it  first  hear  from  him- 
self and  know  what  he  doeth?  52  They  answered  and  said 
unto  him.  Art  thou  also  of  Galilee?  Search,  and  see  that 
out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet. 

The  police  returned  without  Jesus.  A  volume  could 
be  written  on  the  explanation  which  they  offered  for 
their  failure.  It  was  to  the  Sanhedrin  that  they  made 
their  report.  This  day  was  a  Sabbath,  too.  The  rulers 
had  complained  of  Jesus'  healing  men  on  the  Sabbath. 
Was  this  a  nobler  use  of  the  day  which  they  were  making? 
Are  we  as  self-deceived  as  they  were  as  to  right  and  wrong? 
The  Pharisee  element  burst  forth  in  anger  at  the  failure 


88  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VIII.  i-ii 

of  the  scheme  to  arrest  Jesus.  "The  multitude,"  they 
exclaimed  in  scorn,  "this  multitude  is  accursed."  What 
was  the  difference  between  their  view  and  Jesus'?  "He 
had  compassion  on  the  multitudes."  One  man  spoke  up 
in  the  Council.  He  knew  something  of  Jesus  and  in  his 
heart  he  believed  in  Him,  but  he  had  not  imperiled  his 
place  by  joining  Him,  and  perhaps  he  was  not  yet  clear 
in  his  own  mind,  but  he  spoke  up.  Would  the  Pharisees, 
in  their  zeal  for  the  law,  violate  it?  Deut.  i,  i6;  Ex. 
xxiii,  I.  But  prejudice  gave  no  heed  and  sneered  him 
down.  And  the  feast  ended  and  the  people  scattered. 
But  Jesus  was  not  yet  done  with  them.  He  went  out 
into  the  country  to  come  back. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Ought  not  the  officers  to  have  arrested  Jesus  unless 
they  were  prepared  to  go  much  further  in  the  opposite 
direction  than  merely  to  marvel  at  His  abihty  as  a  speaker? 
Do  not  many  men  to-day  make  the  moral  blunder  of 
evading  the  substance  by  talking  about  the  form  of  God's 
message  as  they  have  heard  it  delivered?  "That  was 
a  great  sermon,"  you  say.  Man,  God  is  not  asking  you 
your  opinion  of  His  messenger.  He  is  calling  you  to 
give  your  soul  to  your  Saviour. 

2.  Are  not  the  common  people  better  qualified  and  more 
likely  to  discover  the  truth  in  some  matters  than  the 
professional  teachers  and  leaders?  In  what  matters  is 
this  true,  if  it  is  true? 

3.  Is  it  to  the  discredit  of  Nicodemus  that  he  was  still 
"one  of  them"? 

4.  Can  you  think  of  modern  instances  of  sectional 
prejudice  and  contempt  like  that  of  v.  52?  Read  some 
of  the  contemporary  comments  on  Abraham  Lincoln's 
Cooper  Union  Speech. 

(4)  The  story  of  the  woman  taken  in  adultery,    viii,  i-ii 

®0  53  [And  they  went  every  man  unto  his  own  house: 
^  I  but  Jesus  went  unto  the  mount  of  Olives.  2  And 
early  in  the  morning  he  came  again  into  the  temple,  and  all 
the  people  came  unto  him;    and  he  sat  down,  and  taught 


Ch.  VIII.  i-ii      GREAT  CONTROVERSY  89 

them.  3  And  the  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  bring  a  woman 
taken  in  adultery;  and  having  set  her  in  the  midst,  4  they 
say  unto  him,  Teacher,  this  woman  hath  been  taken  in 
adultery,  in  the  very  act.  5  Now  in  the  law  Moses  com- 
manded us  to  stone  such:  what  then  sayest  thou  of  her? 
6  And  this  they  said,  trying  him,  that  they  might  have 
whereof  to  accuse  him.  But  Jesus  stooped  down,  and 
with  his  finger  wrote  on  the  ground.  7  But  when  they 
continued  asking  him,  he  lifted  up  himself,  and  said  unto 
them.  He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast 
a  stone  at  her.  8  And  again  he  stooped  down,  and 
with  his  finger  wrote  on  the  ground.  9  And  they,  when 
they  heard  it,  went  out  one  by  one,  beginning  from  the 
eldest,  even  unto  the  last:  and  Jesus  was  left  alone,  and 
the  woman,  where  she  was,  in  the  midst.  10  And  Jesus 
lifted  up  himself,  and  said  imto  her,  Woman,  where  are 
they?  did  no  man  condemn  thee?  11  And  she  said.  No 
man,  Lord.  And  Jesus  said.  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee: 
go  thy  way;  from  henceforth  sin  no  more.] 

Some  manuscripts  of  the  Gospels  put  this  passage  in 
Luke,  at  the  end  of  chapter  xxi.  Some  omit  it  altogether. 
But  the  story  was  certainly  part  of  the  Apostolic  tradition, 
and  it  teaches  many  great  lessons.  One  is  that  character 
reveals  itself  by  the  agencies  that  it  uses.  Men  who 
would  do  what  these  men  did  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
fusing Jesus  deserved  the  denunciation  which  Jesus  else- 
where poured  upon  them.  They  had  no  desire  for  a  God 
of  love  and  truth  and  purity.  Another  lesson  is  that 
our  moral  judgments  often  depend  upon  the  atmosphere 
in  which  they  are  formed.  Away  from  Jesus  the  course 
of  action  which  these  men  proposed  looked  very  fine. 
They  were  behaving  most  morally  and  were  also  pro- 
posing a  great  problem  to  Jesus.  When  they  stood  in 
Jesus'  presence,  however,  everything  looked  different. 
Their  conduct  stood  forth  in  real  contemptibleness,  and 
they  slunk  out,  beginning  with  the  oldest.  Let  us  form 
all  our  judgments  in  Christ's  company.  Then  we  shall 
always  deem  mean  and  despicable  what  He  deems  so. 

Questions  jor  Rejleciion  and  Discussion 

1.  Why  did  they  not  bring  the  man,  too? 

2.  Why   did   the   oldest   go   out   first?    Was   his   con- 


90  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VIII.  12-20 

science  tenderest  or  its  burden  heaviest?  Why  did  the 
youngest  stay  longest  before  he,  too,  went? 

3.  What  do  you  imagine  Jesus  wrote? 

4.  Did  Jesus  acquit  the  woman,  or  did  He  convict  and 
pardon,  or  did  He  withhold  judgment  and  admonish? 

(s)  Jesus  further  reveals  Himself,    viii,  12-20 

(7^  12  Again  therefore  Jesus  spake  unto  them,  saying,  I 
^-^  am  the  light  of  the  world:  he  that  followeth  me  shall 
not  walk  in  the  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life. 
13  The  Pharisees  therefore  said  unto  him,  Thou  bearest 
witness  of  thyself;  thy  witness  is  not  true.  14  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Even  if  I  bear  witness  of 
myself,  my  witness  is  true;  for  I  know  whence  I  came, 
and  whither  I  go;  but  ye  know  not  whence  I  come,  or 
whither  I  go.  15  Ye  judge  after  the  flesh;  I  judge  no  man. 
16  Yea  and  if  I  judge,  my  judgment  is  true;  for  I  am  not 
alone,  but  I  and  the  Father  that  sent  me.  17  Yea  and  in 
your  law  it  is  written,  that  the  witness  of  two  men  is  true. 
18  I  am  he  that  beareth  witness  of  myself,  and  the  Father 
that  sent  me  beareth  witness  of  me.  19  They  said  there- 
fore unto  him.  Where  is  thy  Father?  Jesus  answered, 
Ye  know  neither  me,  nor  my  Father:  if  ye  knew  me,  ye 
would  know  my  Father  also.  20  These  words  spake  he 
in  the  treasury,  as  he  taught  in  the  temple:  and  no  man 
took  him ;  because  his  hour  was  not  yet  come. 

The  storm  of  the  day  before,  when  the  Sanhedrin 
sought  to  arrest  Jesus,  has  died  down  for  the  time,  and 
He  continues  to  teach  publicly.  He  has  already  applied 
to  Himself,  in  hope  of  reaching  the  spiritual  sense  of  the 
people,  the  suggestiveness  of  the  miracles  of  the  manna 
(vi,  47-51)  and  of  the  smitten  rock  (vii,  37).  Now  he 
appropriates  that  of  the  fiery  pillar.  The  conversation 
occurred  in  the  court  of  the  women  in  the  temple,  where 
were  the  great  candelabra,  lighted  on  the  first  night  of 
(the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  images  of  the  pillar  of  fire, 
as  the  libations  were  of  the  smitten  rock.  Jesus  was 
one  by  one  taking  the  types  and  filling  them,  claiming 
them  as  foreshadowings  of  Himself.  "I  am  the  hght." 
Light  is  self-evidencing.  If  a  man  does  not  see  it  you 
cannot  prove  it  to  him.  Christ  is  witness  to  Himself 
jto  jthe  5oul  that  is  capable  of  receiving  Him.    Pride  or 


Ch.  VIII.  I2-20    GREAT  CONTROVERSY  91 

sin  blinds  the  eyes  so  that  they  do  not  see.  What  can 
be  done  for  them  until  they  see?  But  if  the  heart  is 
childlike  toward  God,  then  it  will  discover  Him,  and 
discover  Him  in  Christ. 

"  And  when 
We  dwell  in  darkness  of  the  mind  'tis  we 
That  turn  our  faces  from  thy  radiancy." — 

— Fraser-Tytler. 

"Light  of  the  world,"  i,  9,  29;  iii,  16,  17;  iv,  42;  vi, 
33,  51;  xvii,  18,  21,  23. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  it  not  true  that  for  whatever  light  there  is  in  the 
world  to-day,  we  have  to  look  to  Christ? 

2.  Why  should  knowledge  of  a  man's  origin  and  destiny 
quahfy  him  as  a  true  witness  about  himself?     v.  14. 

3.  Why  should  fellowship  with  God  as  Father  ensure 
the  justice  of  Jesus'  judgments? 

4.  Men  are  always  asking  questions  in  terms  of  space 
and  time.  "Where  is  Thy  Father?"  "Where  is  Jesus 
now?"  asked  a  group  of  school-boys.  But  can  terms 
of  space  and  time  have  any  meaning  in  relation  to  the 
spaceless  and  timeless  life  of  God?  "It  is  not  a  matter 
of  'where,'  "  is  the  implication  of  Jesus'  reply.  "It 
is  a  matter  of  personality,  of  the  knowledge  of  being." 

5.  Does  every  life  have  its  hour? 

6.  How  different  this  day  that  had  now  come  from  the 
night  when  the  little  child  lay  in  the  manger! 

"  Light  of  the  world,  the  world  is  dark  about  Thee; 
Far  out  on  Judah's  hills,  the  night  is  deep. 
Not  yet  the  day  is  come  when  men  shall  doubt  Thee, 
Not  yet  the  hour  when  Thou  must  wake  and  weep; 
O  little  one,  O  Lord  of  Glory,  sleep! 

"  Love  of  all  heaven,  love's  arms  are  folded  round  Thee, 
Love's  heart  shall  be  the  pillow  for  Thy  cheek. 
Not  yet  the  hour  is  come  when  hate  shall  wound  Thee, 
Not  yet  for  shelter  vainly  must  Thou  seek. 
Rest,  little  one,  so  mighty  and  so  weak. 


92  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VIII.  21-30 

"Lie  still  and  rest,  Thou  Rest  of  earth  and  heaven; 
Rest,  little  hands — our  Hope  of  bliss  ye  keep; 
Rest,  little  heart — one  day  shalt  Thou  be  riven; 
O  new-born  life,  O  Life  eternal,  sleep! 
Far  out  on  Judah's  hills  the  night  is  deep." 

(6)  The  spiritual  crisis  in  the  preaching  to  Israel,    viii,  2 1-59 

(a)  The  clear  restatement  of  the  object  of  faith  and  the 
results  of  unbelief,     viii,  21-30 

(4^  21  He  said  therefore  again  unto  them,  I  go  away,  and 
^^  ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  die  in  your  sin;  whither  I 
go,  ye  caimot  come.  22  The  Jews  therefore  said,  "Will  he 
kill  himself,  that  he  saith.  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come? 
23  And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  from  beneath ;  I  am  from 
above:  ye  are  of  this  world;  I  am  not  of  this  world.  24 
I  said  therefore  unto  you,  that  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins: 
for  except  ye  believe  that  I  am  he^  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins. 
25  They  said  therefore  unto  him.  Who  art  thou?  Jesus 
said  imto  them.  Even  that  which  I  have  also  spoken  unto 
you  from  the  beginning.  26  I  have  many  things  to  speak 
and  to  judge  concerning  you:  howbeit  he  that  sent  me  is 
true;  and  the  things  which  I  heard  from  him,  these  speak 
I  unto  the  world.  27  They  perceived  not  that  he  spake 
to  them  of  the  Father.  28  Jesus  therefore  said.  When 
ye  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  man,  then  shall  ye  know  that 
I  am  he,  and  that  I  do  nothing  of  myself,  but  as  the  Father 
taught  me,  I  speak  these  things.  29  And  he  that  sent  me 
is  with  me;  he  hath  not  left  me  alone;  for  I  do  always  the 
things  that  are  pleasing  to  him.  30  As  he  spake  these  tilings, 
many  believed  on  him. 

Here  Jesus  clearly  restates  the  object  of  faith  and  the 
results  of  unbelief.  It  is  a  development  of  what  He  had 
said  in  vii,  33-34.  The  gulf  between  Him  and  those  who 
will  not  believe.  He  points  out,  comes  from  a  difference 
in  nature.  They  belong  to  different  worlds.  They  were 
from  beneath,  sensual.  He  was  from  above,  spiritual. 
They  were  of  this  world,  the  passing  order.  He  was 
not  of  this  world,  but  the  bringer  in  of  the  life  eternal 
in  the  spirit.  The  only  hope  of  life,  of  permanence,  was 
in  His  Being,  His  offer  of  the  union  of  God  and  man, 
His  enduring  and  saving  Person.  "I  am,"  not  "I  am 
He,"  but  just  "I  am,"  is  the  Messiah's  assertion  of  Himself. 


Ch.  VIII.  31-59     GREAT  CONTROVERSY  93 

That  is  all  we  need.  That  was  His  great  work.  He  was. 
"But  who?"  asked  the  Jews,  "who  are  you?"  "I  am 
what  I  have  been  trying  to  show  you.  But  what  is  the 
use?  You  do  not  understand."  Then  a  pause,  "And 
I  have  more  to  say  that  will  only  widen  the  breach  be- 
tween us.  But  when  it  is  all  over  you  may  see."  As 
He  spake  some  saw  and  believed.  Would  we  have  believed 
if  we  had  been  Pharisees  then  listening  to  Him? 

One  great  evidence  of  our  Lord's  deity  was  the  fact 
that  He  was  misunderstood.  He  was  manifestly  a  mes- 
senger out  of  a  different  world.  Any  messenger  whom 
we  can  wholly  understand  and  take  in  will  be  of  our  own 
order  and  sphere  and  not  from  another  and  higher. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Can  we  not  feel  the  struggle  of  Jesus  to  show  in 
words  that  He  was  more  than  words  either  of  declaration 
or  of  explanation  could  ever  show? 

2.  Again  "Where"  and  "Whither"  with  the  Jews  and 
"What"  and  "This"  with  Jesus.  Can  we  see  the  dif- 
ference between  "Where  I  am"  and  "What  I  am"? 

3.  To  be  true  to  Himself  and  the  divine  in  Him  and 
yet  to  use  His  humanity  and  its  opportunity  to  spiritualize 
and  elevate  man's  thought  of  God  as  above  all,  was  this 
not  Jesus'  problem?  How  better  than  He  did  could  God 
incarnate  teach  men  the  nature  of  the  transcendent  God? 

4.  How  did  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  as  man  reveal  Him 
as  God? 

5.  Is  John  accomplishing  his  purpose?  xx,  31.  Is^ 
not  the  case  as  he  is  presenting  it  convincing? 

(6)  Analysis  of  the   character  and  issues  of  selfish  belief 
and  false  Judaism,     viii,  31-59 

(^  31  Jesus  therefore  said  to  those  Jews  that  had  believed 
^^  him,  if  ye  abide  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  truly  my  disci' 
pies;  32  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free.  33  They  answered  unto  him,  We  are 
Abraham's  seed,  and  have  never  yet  been  in  bondage  to 
any  man:  how  sayest  thou.  Ye  shall  be  made  free?  34 
Jesus  answered  them.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Every 


94  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VIH.  31-59 

one  that  committeth   sin  is  the   bondservant  of  sin.    35 
And  the  bondservant  abideth  not  in  the  house  for  ever: 
the   son   abideth  forever.    36  If   therefore   the   Son   shall 
make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed.     37  I  know  that 
ye  are  Abraham's  seed;    yet  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  because 
my  word  hath  not  free   course  in  you.     38  I  speak  the 
things  which  I  have  seen  with  my  Father:    and  ye  also  do 
the   things   which   ye   heard   from    your  father.    39  They 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  Our  father  is  Abraham.    Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye  would 
do  the  works  of  Abraham.     40  But  now  ye  seek  to  kill 
me,  a  man  that  hath  told  you  the  truth,  which  I  heard  from 
God:   this  did  not  Abraham.     41  Ye  do  the  works  of  your 
father.    They  said  unto  him,  We  were  not  bom  of  fornica- 
tion;  we  have  one  Father,  even  God.     42  Jesus  said  unto 
them.  If  God  were  your  Father,  ye  would  love  me:    for 
I  came  forth  and  am  come  from  God;   for  neither  have  I 
come  of  myself,  but  he  sent  me.    43  Why  do  ye  not  tmder- 
stand  my  speech?     Even  because  ye  cannot  hear  my  word. 
44  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of   your 
father  it  is  your  will  to  do.     He  was  a  murderer  from  the 
beginning,  and  standeth  not   in  the   truth,   because  there 
is  no  truth  in  him.    When  he  speaketh  a  lie,  he  speaketh 
of  his  own:  for  he  is  a  liar,  and  the  father  thereof.    45  But 
because  I  say  the  truth,  ye  believe  me  not.    46  Which  of 
you  convicteth  me  of  sin?     If  I  say  truth,  why  do  ye  not 
believe  me?    47  He  that  is  of  God  heareth  the  words  of 
God:   for  this  cause  ye  hear  them  not,  because  ye  are  not 
of  God.    48  The  Jews  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Say 
we  not  well  that  thou  art  a  Samaritan,  and  hast  a  demon? 
49  Jesus  answered,  I  have  not  a  demon;   but  I  honor  my 
Father,   and  ye   dishonor  me.     50  But   I   seek  not  mine 
own  glory;    there  is  one  that  seeketh   and  judgeth.    51 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  If  a  man  keep  my  word,  he 
shall  never  see  death.     52  The  Jews  said  imto  him,  Now 
we  know  that  thou  hast  a  demon.    Abraham  died,  and 
the  prophets;    and  thou  sayest,  If  a  man  keep  my  word, 
he  shall  never  taste  of  death.     53  Art  thou  greater  than 
our  father  Abraham,  who  died?    and  the  prophets  died: 
whom  makest  thou  thyself?    54  Jesus  answered.  If  I  glorify 
myself,  my  glory  is  nothing:   it  is  my  Father  that  glorifieth 
me;  of  whom  ye  say,  that  he  is  your  God;  55  and  ye  have 
not  known  him:  but  I  know  him;  and  if  I  should  say,  I  know 
him  not,  I  shall  be  like  unto  you,  a  liar:   but  I  know  him, 
and  keep  his  word.     56  Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to 
see  my  day;    and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad.     57  The  Jews 
thereforeisaid  unto  him.  Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old 


Ch.  VIII.  31-59    GREAT  CONTROVERSY  95 

and  hast  thou  seen  Abraham?  58  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Before  Abraham  was  bom, 
I  am.  59  They  took  up  stones  therefore  to  cast  at  him: 
but  Jesus  hid  himself,  and  went  out  of  the  temple. 

viii,  31-32.  The  rest  of  the  chapter  is  a  dialogue  be- 
tween Jesus  and  the  Jews.  Here  Abraham,  and  not 
Moses,  as  in  chapter  vi,  is  the  representative  of  Judaism. 
The  whole  conversation  is  a  contrast  of  the  literal  and 
spiritual,  the  external  and  moral,  the  temporal  and  eter- 
nal. It  is  a  conversation  with  Jews  who  believed  Christ 
but  not  in  Him,  who  acknowledged  His  claims  to  Messiah- 
ship,  but  interpreted  them  by  their  own  prepossessions. 
These  Jews  did  not  believe  on  Him  as  those  in  v.  30  did. 
Jesus  recognizes  this  kind  of  faith,  imperfect  though  it 
is,  and  combined  with  old  prejudice,  and  says,  ''If  ye, 
even  ye,  abide  in  my  word,  ye  are  truly  my  disciples." 
Their  faith  was  crude,  but  it  was  a  beginning,  and  Jesus 
welcomes  any  trust.  If  they  went  on  they  would  come 
to  the  fulness  of  freedom.  Notice  it  is  ^Hhe  truth." 
What  truth?  The  truth  of  mathematics?  Yes,  so  far 
as  that  frees  men  from  error.  But  ^^the  truth"  is  the 
truth  which  Christ  brought  and  which  Christ  is,  and 
which  frees  men  from  all  sin.     i,  17;  xiv,  6. 

viii,  33-47.  But  these  believing  Jews  show  at  once 
how  shallow  their  faith  was.  They  had  no  sense  of  want 
or  need  of  spiritual  deliverance.  "We  are  free,"  they 
said.  Jesus  answered  "  (i)  Not  spiritually.  Every  sinner 
is  a  slave.  A  slave  abideth  not  in  the  Father's  house. 
Only  the  Son.  The  only  freedom  is  through  that  Son. 
(2)  Physical  descent  from  Abraham  does  not  make  you 
spiritually  like  him.  He  was  a  freeman.  Why,  you 
are  trying  to  kill  me.  That  shows  your  spirit.  We  have 
not  the  same  father."  The  Jews  replied,  ''What  difference 
of  fathers  is  there?  Our  father  is  Abraham."  "Not  so," 
said  Jesus.  "You  don't  act  it.  Abraham  honored  those 
who  spake  God's  word.  You  kill  them."  "We  are 
Abraham's  children  both  historically  and  spiritually," 
declared  the  Jews.  "We  are  God's  children,  as  he  was." 
Jesus  answered,  "There  is  a  test  for  that.  God's  children 
always  recognize  God.  If  God  is  your  Father  you  will 
recognize  Me."     (I  John  v,  i;   John  xiv,  i.)     We  press 


96  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VIII.  31-59 

this  point.  A  true  theism  necessitates  faith  in  Jesus. 
"You  don't  meet  this  test.  You  are  the  devil's  children, 
He,  too,  was  a  murderer,  incapable  of  accepting  and 
serving  truth.  And  you  have  no  true  love  of  truth,  and 
it  is  your  own  fault.  You  are  no  kin  of  God."  Jesus 
lays  the  responsibility  of  our  alienation  on  our  caprice, 
not  on  God's  partiaHty. 

viii,  48-59.  Jesus  having  uncovered  the  unreality  of 
the  faith  of  those  Jews  who  were  Abraham's  progeny 
but  not  his  children,  these  Jews  now  retort  on  Him  the 
very  charges  He  had  just  made  against  them.  They 
called  Him  an  illegitimate  child  of  Abraham,  a  Samaritan, 
and  said  He  had  a  devil.  Jesus  ignores  this  slur  on  the 
Samaritan,  offers  His  unselfishness  as  proof  of  the  divinity 
of  His  mission,  and  presses  on  to  vaster  claims — claims 
that  set  Him  far  above  Abraham  and  lift  Him  up  into 
God.  They  begin  at  last  to  understand  Him  (?;.  53).  And 
yet  they  will  not  (v.  57).  So  He  hurls  out  at  them  His 
closing  word.  "Abraham  died.  I  am  the  giver  of  life. 
Abraham  was  the  father  of  the  Jews.  I  am  the  center 
of  Abraham's  hope."  Then  stones.  This  was  the  end 
of  their  faith  when  really  sifted.  If  it  had  been  only  a 
claim  to  the  Messiahship,  they  would  not  have  taken  up 
stones  (x,  24).  But  they  could  not  endure  His  definition 
of  His  Messiahship  and  His  identification  of  it  with  God. 
Therefore  stones  (cf.  x,  30,  31),  the  answer  of  those  who 
loved  darkness  rather  than  light.  And  there  are  stones 
to-day.  They  are  thrown  in  college  and  city,  on  land 
and  sea.  "So  He  claimed  to  be  God,"  men  and  women 
say.  "God!  Away  with  Him!"  But  that  does  not 
do  away  with  Him.    He  is  still  here  and  will  remain. 

"Before  Abraham  was  I  am." 

"Twixt  gleams  of  joy  and  clouds  of  dust 
Our  feelings  come  and  go. 
Our  best  estate  is  tossed  about 
In  ceaseless  ebb  and  flow. 

"No  mood  of  feeling,  form  of  thought 
Is  constant  for  a  day; 
But,  Thou,  O  Lord!  Thou  changest  not 
The  same  Thou  art  alway." 

— /.  C.  Shairp. 


Ch.  VIII.  31-59     GREAT  CONTROVERSY  97 

Stones, — one  answer,  the  answer  of  those  who  loved 
darkness  no  matter  what  they  said  they  loved.  It  was 
darkness  answering  light.    But  the  Light  had  come. 

"Even  here  where  darkness  gathers  round, 
All  is  not  dark. 
There  is,  midst  all,  one  spot  of  holy  ground 

Which  bears  heaven's  mark — 
The  place  which  God  has  chosen  for  His  own 
That  He  may  come  and  make  His  oresence  known." 

— John  Sharp. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

I.  What  is  the  difference  between  believing  Christ  and 
believing  on  Christ?  And  what  is  the  difference  between 
these  and  the  belief  of  Christ?  Do  you  see  any  possi- 
bility whatever  of  bringing  into  accord  with  the  Gospel 
of  John  or  with  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  such  a  view 
as  the  one  set  forth  in  the  following  extract  from  a  pub- 
lic letter  of  Prof.  Adolf  Deissmann  of  the  University  of 
Berlin  on  religious  life  in  Germany  during  the  war? 

''The  letter  of  a  young  Lancer  (Uhlan),  one  of  our  theo- 
logical student-volunteers,  who  for  several  semesters  was 
a  member  of  my  pro-seminar  and  seminar  here  at  the 
university,  gave  me  an  especial  joy.  During  the  entire 
time  of  his  military  training  and  for  the  first  weeks  in 
the  field  his  mind  was  continually  occupied  by  a  passage 
in  Romans;  now  he  believes  himself  to  have  found  the  solu- 
tion and  is  happy  and  satisfied  about  it.  From  Ardoye  in 
West-Flanders  he  writes  the  following: 

"  *  During  last  summer's  semester  I  heard  your  exe- 
gesis of  Romans.  .  .  .  Many  passages  disquieted  me  and 
again  made  me  happy.  However,  there  was  one  which 
bothered  me  very  much.  I  knew  it  involved  an  essential 
element  in  our  conception  of  Christ.  All  other  expositions 
did  not  satisfy  me.  What  I  refer  to  are  the  remarkable 
words  of  Paul  in  Rom.  iii,  21-26;  especially  v.  25.  Well, 
as  I  said,  the  statement  here  troubled  me  throughout 
the  semester  without  my  finding  a  satisfactory  conclusion. 
War  broke  out  and  as  a  volunteer  I  entered  the  3rd  reg- 
iment of  Lancers  in  Furstenwalde. 

"  'My  studies  naturally  came  to  a  close,  but  not  the 


98  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  VIII.  31-59 

burning  question  in  regard  to  the  passage  mentioned  above. 
If  I  give  you,  my  dear  professor,  in  brief  my  thoughts 
and  considerations  about  these  words  of  the  Apostle, 
I  do  it  with  the  happy  consciousness  of  having  become 
content  and  quiet.  I  would  Hke  to  ask  you  to  examine 
my  exegesis.  Of  course  now,  while  I  am  writing,  the 
original  is  not  at  my  disposal,  for  I  am  already  out  in 
the  field;  but  during  the  long  hours  in  our  quarters  I 
at  least  have  the  time  to  give  you  the  translation  which 
I  finished  in  the  garrison  and  took  along  with  me. 

"  'These  are  the  words: 

"  '21.  But  now  apart  from  the  law,  God's  righteousness 
has  been  manifested,  having  been  witnessed  by  the  law 
and  the  prophets,  22  even  God's  righteousness  through 
(in  consequence  of)  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  (i.e., 
with  reference  to)  all  them  that  believe  (i.e.,  who  have 
the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ).  For  there  is  no  distinction, 
23  for  all  have  sinned  and  fall  short  of  (cannot  obtain)  the 
glory  of  God:  24  being  (now)  accounted  righteous  freely 
by  His  grace  as  a  result  of  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ 
Jesus;  25  whom  God  set  forth  pubHcly  as  a  sign  of 
propitiation,  in  consequence  of  the  faith  (which  He  even 
preserved)  in  His  blood,  to  show  His  righteousness  because 
of  the  passing  over  of  the  sins  done  aforetime  in  the  for- 
bearance of  God;  26  for  the  showing  of  His  righteousness 
at  this  present  season;  that  He  Himself  be  truly  just;  and 
(in  truth)  accounts  righteous  him  that  is  of  the  faith  of 
Jesus  (i.e.,  who  shares  the  same  faith  with  Jesus).  .  .  . 

"  'What  bothered  me  most  was  v.  25.  It  was  not 
clear  to  me  where  the  phrase  "in  His  blood"  belonged. 
My  understanding  of  the  whole  passage  hinges  on  these 
words.  "In  His  blood"  must  necessarily  belong  to  "in 
consequence  of  His  faith!"  and  this  faith  is  not  the  faith 
of  men  in  Christ  but  the  faith  of  Christ  Himself.  Only 
he-,  who  is  of  this  faith  can  recognize  the  righteousness 
of  God.  It  is  not  the  faith  in  Christ's  blood,  neither 
is  it  the  faith  in  the  fellowship  of  Christ's  blood,  but  it  is 
the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  which  approved  itself 
to  the  last  and  utmost.  As  a  result  of  this  faith  He  is  a 
sign  of  propitiation  set  forth  by  God  before  the  whole  world. 
I,  therefore,  take  the  expression  "  in  Christ  Jesus  "  in  a  local 
sense  without  necessarily  thinking  of  the  pneumatic  Christ. 


Ch.IX.  I-I2  GREAT  CONTROVERSY  99 

In  this  suffering  and  much  enduring  Christ  lies  our  re- 
demption, since  the  just  God  accounts  him  truly  righteous 
who  has  such  faith  as  Jesus  had.  Throughout  the  whole 
passage  I  think  of  the  historic  Christ  rather  than  of  the 
pneumatic.  The  present  tense  "being  justified"  may  be 
used  in  a  general  way,  and  need  not  be  taken  as  referring 
to  the  present  being  laid  hold  on  by  the  pneumatic  Christ. 
But  this  is  of  little  consequence  here.  All  that  interests 
me  is  to  know  that  the  faith  in  z^.  25  is  Christ's  faith  and 
not  the  faith  in  Christ. 

"  *I  am  so  glad  to  still  be  able  to  pen  you  these  lines, 
hoping  that  you  will  receive  them  right  soon,  for  who 
knows  how  long  we  may  yet  remain  undisturbed  in  our 
quarters.' 

"The  explanation,  which  practically  almost  agrees  with 
that  held  by  Johannes  Haussleiter,  takes  our  redemption 
as  conditioned  by  the  fidehty  of  the  faith  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  which  He  proved  to  the  utmost 
even  to  His  death  on  the  cross." 

Is  this  the  New  Testament  view? 

2.  Is  it  true  that  if  men  love  God  as  their  Father,  they 
will  love  Christ?  Must  a  true  and  devout  theist  be  also 
a  Christian? 

3.  Does  Jesus'  statement  imply  that  the  devil  is  the 
father  of  all  lies?  Are  there  any  lies  that  can  claim  sanc- 
tion from  God?  Or  is  every  lie  wrong?  Read  Trumbull, 
"A  Lie  Never  Justifiable." 

4.  Is  it  possible  to  make  a  Christian  die?  Did  not 
Jesus  say,  "If  a  man  keep  My  word,  he  shall  never  see 
death?" 

b.  The  Feast  of  Dedication.    The  separation  accomplished, 
ix,  X 

(i)  The  sign,    ix,  1-12 

(42)  G  And  as  he  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  blind  from 
^^  ^  his  birth.  2  And  his  disciples  asked  him,  saying, 
Rabbi,  who  sinned,  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he  should 
be  born  blind?  3  Jesus  answered,  Neither  did  this  man 
sin,  nor  his  parents:  but  that  the  works  of  God  should  be 
made  manifest  in  him.  4  We  must  work  the  works  of 
him  that  sent  me,  while  it  is  day:   the  night  cometh,  when 


100  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  IX.  1-12 

no  man  can  work.  5  When  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the 
light  of  the  world.  6  When  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  spat 
on  the  ground,  and  made  clay  of  the  spittle,  and  anointed 
his  eyes  with  the  clay,  7  and  said  unto  him.  Go,  wash  in  the 
pool  of  Siloam  (which  is  by  interpretation,  Sent).  He 
went  away  therefore,  and  washed,  and  came  seeing.  8 
The  neighbors  therefore,  and  they  that  saw  him  aforetime, 
that  he  was  a  beggar,  said.  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and 
begged?  9  Others  said.  It  is  he:  others  said.  No,  but 
he  is  like  him.  He  said,  I  am  he.  10  They  said  therefore 
unto  him.  How  tiien  were  thine  eyes  opened?  11  He 
answered,  The  man  that  is  called  Jesus  made  clay,  and 
anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said  unto  me,  Go  to  Siloam,  and 
wash:  so  I  went  away  and  washed,  and  I  received  sight. 
12  And  they  said  imto  him.  Where  is  he?  He  saith,  I  know 
not. 

The  ninth  and  tenth  chapters  relate  events  and  con- 
versations which  took  place  at  the  Feast  of  Dedication 
in  the  winter  time  (x,  22,  23).  The  Feast  of  Tabernacles 
had  been  in  the  fall.  Jesus  had  fed  the  hungry  and  healed 
the  impotent.  He  now  gives  sight  to  the  blind.  In  doing 
so  He  reveals  to  men  the  one  practical  lesson  to  be  learned 
from  human  suffering.  The  disciples  are  anxious  to  find 
out  the  relation  of  suffering  to  sin.  Jesus'  reply  passes 
over  the  inquiry.  He  has  referred  to  it  elsewhere  [v.  14, 
Matt,  ix,  2).  Here  He  declares  that  the  origin  of  evil 
is  less  important  than  its  removal.  Its  existence  is  only 
an  opportunity  for  the  manifestation  of  God's  works 
which  overthrow  evil.  The  one  lesson  from  suffering  is 
the  need  of  diligence  on  our  part.  "We  must  work." 
He  includes  His  disciples  as  in  iii,  11.  ''While  it  is  day" 
(Psa.  ciii,  23).  "The  night  cometh."  This  lesson  comes 
home  to  us.  We  have  no  time  to  waste  on  speculation 
as  to  the  origin  of  evil.  We  shall  have  all  we  can  do 
to  war  against  it  and  to  overthrow  it.  "The  day  is  short," 
said  R.  Tarphon,  one  of  the  Jewish  fathers,  "and  the 
task  is  great  and  the  workmen  are  sluggish  and  the  reward 
is  much  and  the  Master  of  the  house  is  urgent." 

"  Time  worketh,  let  me  work  too, 
Time  undoeth,  let  me  do. 
Busy  as  time  my  work  I  ply 
Till  I  rest  in  the  rest  of  eternity. 


Ch.  IX.  13-34       GREAT  CONTROVERSY  101 

"  Sin  worketh,  let  me  work  too 
Sin  undoeth,  let  me  do. 
Busy  as  sin  my  work  I  ply 
Till  I  rest  in  the  rest  of  eternity. 

**  Death  worketh,  let  me  work  too, 
Death  undoeth,  let  me  do. 
(Busy  as  death  my  work  I  ply 
Till  I  rest  in  the  rest  of  eternity."— 5onar. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  If  we  had  been  Jews  what  would  we  have  said  about 
this  case?  Would  we  have  said,  "This  man  never  was 
blind,"  or  "What  secret  remedy  has  Jesus  discovered?" 
or  "It  is  evident  that  there  is  more  in  the  universe  than 
we  had  realized?"  Or  would  we  have  said  something 
else? 

2.  Is  personal  testimony  as  to  one's  own  experience 
always  dependable?  Is  it  always  valid  in  the  case  of  disease 
and  its  healing?    Would  it  be  in  a  case  of  blindness  cured? 

3.  What  is  the  connection  of  suffering  with  sin?  What 
light  do  vv.  2  f  throw  on  the  problem  of  suffering?  Cf. 
Luke  xiii,  1-5. 

4.  Does  this  story  support  the  view  held  by  some  that 
Jesus  wrought  His  miracles  purely  as  philanthropies  and  not 
as  signs,  and  that  He  had  no  prophetic  or  propagandist 
purpose  in  what  He  did? 

(2)  The  judgments  on  the  sign,    ix,  13-34 

(43)  13  They  bring  to  the  Pharisees  him  that  aforetime 
^-^  was  blind.  14  Now  it  was  the  sabbath  on  the  day  when 
Jesus  made  the  clay,  and  opened  his  eyes.  15  Again 
therefore  the  Pharisees  also  asked  him  how  he  received 
his  sight.  And  he  said  unto  them,  He  put  clay  upon  mine 
eyes,  and  I  washed,  and  I  see.  16  Some  therefore  of 
the  Pharisees  said,  This  man  is  not  from  God,  because  he 
keepeth  not  the  sabbath.  But  others  said,  How  can  a 
man  that  is  a  sinner  do  such  signs?  And  there  was  a 
division  among  them.  17  They  say  therefore  tmto  the 
blind  man  again.  What  sayest  thou  of  him,  in  that  he  opened 
thine  eyes?  And  he  said.  He  is  a  prophet.  18  The  Jews 
therefore  did  not  believe  concerning  him,  that  he  had  been 


102  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  IX.  13-34 

blind,  and  had  received  his  sight,  until  they  called  the 
parents  of  him  that  had  received  his  sight,  19  and  asked 
them,  saying,  Is  this  your  son,  who  ye  say  was  born  blind? 
how  then  doth  he  now  see?  20  His  parents  answered 
and  said.  We  know  that  this  is  our  son,  and  that  he  was 
bom  blind:  21  but  how  he  now  seeth,  we  know  not;  or 
who  opened  his  eyes,  we  know  not;  ask  him;  he  is  of 
age;  he  shall  speak  for  himself.  22  These  things  said 
his  parents,  because  they  feared  the  Jews:  for  the  Jews 
had  agreed  already,  that  if  any  man  should  confess  him 
to  be  Christ,  he  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue.  23 
Therefore  said  his  parents.  He  is  of  age;  ask  him.  24 
So  they  called  a  second  time  the  man  that  was  blind,  and 
said  unto  him.  Give  glory  to  God;  we  know  that  this  man 
is  a  sinner.  25  He  therefore  answered.  Whether  he  is  a 
sinner,  I  know  not;  one  thing  I  know,  that,  whereas  I  was 
blind,  now  I  see.  26  They  said  therefore  unto  him.  What 
did  he  to  thee?  how  opened  he  thine  eyes?  27  He  an- 
swered them,  I  told  you  even  now,  and  ye  did  not  hear; 
wherefore  would  ye  hear  it  again?  would  ye  also  become 
his  disciples?  28  And  they  reviled  him,  and  said.  Thou 
art  his  disciple;  but  we  are  disciples  of  Moses.  29  We 
know  that  God  hath  spoken  unto  Moses:  but  as  for  this 
man,  we  know  not  whence  he  is.  30  The  man  answered 
and  said  unto  them.  Why,  herein  is  the  marvel,  that  ye 
know  not  whence  he  is,  and  yet   he  opened    mine    eyes. 

31  We  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners:  but  if  any  man 
be  a  worshipper  of  God,  and  do  his  will,  him  he  heareth. 

32  Since  the  world  began  it  was  never  heard  that  any 
one  opened  the  eyes  of  a  man  bom  blind.  33  If  this  man 
were  not  from  God,  he  could  do  nothing.  34  They  an- 
awered  and  said  unto  him.  Thou  wast  altogether  bora  in 
sins,  and  dost  thou  teach  us?    And  they  cast  him  out. 

We  see  here  again  the  development  of  faith  and  un- 
belief. The  Pharisees  fall  from  haughty  satisfaction 
with  preconceptions  {v.  14),  to  debate  and  discussion 
{v.  16),  to  judgment  {v.  24),  to  expulsion  of  the  blind  man 
in  disgrace  {v.  34).  On  the  other  hand,  the  man's  faith 
grows  as  he  beholds  the  growing  hatred  of  the  Pharisees 
for  his  benefactor  (v.  17),  his  opinions  clarify  and  wax 
bolder  (vv.  27,  30),  and  he  comes  at  last  to  the  acceptance 
of  discipleship,  and  open  confession  {v.  38).  So  the  roads 
of  men  diverge.  The  wise  and  great  deceive  themselves 
and  go  astray,  and  the  poor  bUnd  man  follows  the  hght 


Ch.  IX.  13-34       GREAT  CONTROVERSY  103 

trustfully  onward  to  the  fullness  of  the  day.  In  the 
midst  of  all  the  discussion  and  controversy  which  rained 
questions  too  hard  for  the  once  bhnd  man,  he  clung  un- 
moved to  the  one  great  fact  of  his  experience.  "I  was 
bhnd — now  I  see.  Jesus  did  it."  The  questions  and 
anger  of  the  Pharisees  only  drove  him  to  see  more  clearly 
what  was  involved  in  this  great  experience  of  his.  He 
began  to  realize  that  his  benefactor  was  far  more  than 
a  mere  bodily  benefactor,  and  his  blind  soul  awoke  also 
to  vision.  Opposition  to  our  faith  is  often  one  of  our 
best  blessings.  It  brings  out  more  clearly  what  the  grounds 
of  our  faith  are  and  reveals  glories  in  the  object  of  our 
faith  which  we  had  not  seen  before. 

''The  heart  has  reasons  which  the  reason  does  not  know. 
It  is  the  heart  that  feels  God,  not  the  reason.  There 
are  truths  that  are  felt  and  there  are  truths  that  are  proved, 
for  we  know  truth  not  only  by  the  reason  but  by  that 
intuitive  conviction  which  may  be  called  the  heart.  The 
primaiy  truths  are  not  demonstrable  and  yet  our  knowledge 
of  them  is  none  the  less  certain.  Principles  are  felt: 
propositions  are  proved.  Truths  may  be  above  reason 
and  yet  not  be  contrary  to  reason." — Pascal. 

"  If  e'er  when  faith  had  fallen  asleep 
I  heard  a  voice,  *  Believe  no  more!' 
And  heard  an  ever  breaking  shore 
That  tumbled  on  the  Godless  deep, 

"  A  warmth  within  the  heart  would  melt 
The  freezing  reason's  colder  part 
And  like  a  man  in  wrath  the  heart 
Stood  up  and  answered,  *  I  have  felt.'  " 

— Tennyson. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Are  not  prejudices  always  angered  by  facts?  Why 
is  this?  Is  it  so  with  us?  Are  we  guilty  of  any  partisan- 
ships which  blind  us  to  facts? 

2.  Was  it  right  for  the  parents  to  testify  only  to  what 
they  themselves  knew  and  to  throw  the  whole  burden 
of  the  hostihty  of  the  Pharisees  upon  the  bhnd  son  who 
only  now  saw  and  who  had  to  make  a  completely  new 
adjustment  to  life? 


104  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  IX.  35-41 

3.  The  Pharisees  could  cast  out  the  man  but  they  could 
not  answer  his  testimony.  Have  we  any  testimony  that 
we  can  bear  to  Christ  and  His  power  which  makes  us  as 
unanswerable  as  this  man? 

4.  Note  how  shrewd  the  blind  man  had  become.  Is 
there  any  sharpener  and  strengthener  of  the  mind  equal 
to  the  living  experience,  to  vital  contact  with  reahty, 
especially  with  supreme  moral  personality? 

(3)  The  beginning  of  the  new  society,    ix,  35-41 

^  35  Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out;  and  find- 
^^  ing  him,  he  said,  Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God? 
36  He  answered  and  said,  And  who  is  he.  Lord,  that  I 
may  believe  on  him?  37  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast 
both  seen  him,  and  he  it  is  that  speaketh  with  thee.  38 
And  he  said.  Lord,  I  believe.  And  he  worshipped  him. 
39  And  Jesus  said.  For  judgment  came  I  into  this  world, 
that  they  that  see  not  may  see;  and  that  they  that  see 
may  become  blind.  40  Those  of  the  Pharisees  who  were 
witifi  him  heard  these  things,  and  said  unto  him.  Are  we  also 
blind?  41  Jesus  said  unto  them.  If  ye  were  blind,  ye 
would  have  no  sin:  but  now  ye  say.  We  see:  your  sin 
ramaineth. 

The  once  blind  man  was  the  first  member  of  a  new 
society.  Jesus  and  His  other  disciples  had  not  yet  been 
cast  out  of  Judaism.  But  now  for  the  first  time  a  believer 
for  his  faith  was  cast  out  of  the  theocratic  community. 
It  was  "the  first  act  of  the  rupture  between  the  Church 
and  the  Synagogue."  The  new  society  distinct  from 
Judaism  was  now  begun.  A  test  of  membership  was 
provided,  the  confession  of  a  new  truth,  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  Son  of  God.  As  such  Jesus  revealed  Him- 
self to  the  man  and  as  such  the  man  accepted  Him.  Per- 
haps as  soliloquy,  perhaps  as  to  the  company  standing 
about,  Jesus  interpreted  the  incident.  Judgment  was 
revealing  itself.  This  was  not  the  object  of  His  coming 
(iii,  17),  but  it  was  the  inevitable  result  (iii,  18).  His 
coming  revealed  faith  and  unbelief.  Those  who  saw 
not,  like  the  blind  man,  were  seeing.  The  untrained  and 
ignorant  were  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  Man  entering  into 
fullness   of  light.    Those   who   saw,   the   Pharisees   who 


Ch.  X.  I-2I  GREAT  CONTROVERSY  105 

knew  the  law,  were  holding  to  their  externals  and  literal- 
isms and  losing  sight.  "But  are  we  blind?"  asked  the 
friendly  Pharisees  who  followed  but  did  not  yield  to  His 
Messianic  ideals.  "It  were  better  that  you  were  and  knew 
it,"  was  Jesus'  reply.  "If  you  felt  your  ignorance  I  could 
heal  you,  but  you  boast  presumptuously  of  your  knowl- 
edge: for  this  reason  your  malady  is  incurable." — Godet. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Might  not  this  healed  blind  man  be  truly  called  the  first 
Christian?  All  the  other  disciples  were  still  Jews,  mem- 
bers of  the  Synagogue,  but  this  man  had  been  cast  out  by 
Judaism  and  was  only  a  Christian.  Note  that  it  was 
Judaism  which  made  the  separation. 

2.  What  was  the  doctrinal  basis  of  the  new  community 
of  those  who,  cast  out  elsewhere,  followed  Jesus  Christ 
alone?    Remember  that  Jesus  Himself  asked  this  question. 

3.  Would  it  be  better  to  leave  men  in  ignorance  in  order 
to  diminish  their  responsibility?  If  so  would  you  be  willing 
to  be  left  or  to  leave  your  children? 

(4)  The  character  of  the  new  society,    x,  1-2 1 

©10  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  entereth 
^-^  -"-^  not  by  the  door  into  the  fold  of  the  sheep,  but 
climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief  and  a  rob- 
ber. 2.  But  he  that  entereth  in  by  the  door  is  the  shep- 
herd of  the  sheep.  3  To  him  the  porter  openeth;  and  the 
sheep  hear  his  voice:  and  he  calleth  his  own  sheep  by 
name,  and  leadeth  them  out.  4  When  he  hath  put  forth 
all  his  own,  he  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow 
him:  for  they  know  his  voice.  5  And  a  stranger  will  they 
not  follow,  but  will  flee  from  him:  for  they  know  noi  the 
voice  of  strangers.  6  This  parable  spake  Jesus  unto  them: 
but  they  understood  not  what  things  they  were  which  he 
spake  unto  them. 

Q\  7  Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them  again.  Verily,  verily, 
^^  I  say  unto  you,  I  am  the  door  of  the  sheep.  8  All  that 
came  before  me>re  thieves  and  robbers :  but  the  sheep  did 
not  hear  them.  9  I  am  the  door;  by  me  if  any  man  enter 
in,  he  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  go  out,  and  shall 
find  pasttire.     10  The  thief  cometh  not,  but  that  he  may 


106  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  X.  1-2 1 

steal,  and  kill,  and  destroy:  I  came  that  they  may  have 
life,  and  may  have  it  abundantly.  11  I  am  the  good  shep- 
herd: the  good  shepherd  layeth  down  his  life  for  the  sheep. 
12  He  that  is  a  hireling,  and  not  a  shepherd,  whose  own  the 
sheep  are  not,  beholdeth  the  wolf  coming,  and  leaveth 
the  sheep,  and  fleeth,  and  the  wolf  snatcheth  them,  and 
scattereth  them:  13  he  fleeth  because  he  is  a  hireling, 
and  careth  not  for  the  sheep.  14  I  am  the  good  shepherd; 
and  I  know  mine  own,  and  mine  own  know  me,  15  even 
as  the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  I  know  the  Father;  and 
I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep.  16  And  other  sheep 
I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold:  them  also  I  must  bring 
and  they  shall  hear  my  voice;  and  they  shall  become  one 
flock,  one  shepherd.  17  Therefore  doth  the  Father  love 
me,  because  I  lay  down  my  life,  that  I  may  take  it  again. 
18  No  one  taketh  it  away  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  my- 
self. I  have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to 
take  it  again.  This  commandment  received  I  from  my 
Father. 

©iQ  There  arose  a  division  again  among  the  Jews  be- 
cause of  these  words.  20  And  many  of  them  said.  He 
hath  a  demon,  and  is  mad;  why  hear  ye  |him?  21  Others 
said.  These  are  not  the  sayings  of  one  possessed  with  a 
demon.     Can  a  demon  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind? 

X,  1-6.  The  expulsion  of  the  man  whom  Jesus  received 
forms  the  opportunity  for  a  statement  of  the  nature  of 
the  society  which  is  now  opened  distinct  from  Judaism. 
The  parable  of  the  Shepherd,  his  relation  to  the  fold  and 
to  the  sheep,  suggests  Christ's  relation  to  the  Church 
and  His  power  to  claim  His  own  followers.  Perhaps  the 
parable  was  suggested  by  the  sight  of  the  shepherds  and 
their  flocks  on  the  hills  about  Jerusalem.  The  image  was 
a  favorite  one  in  the  Old  Testament  (Ezek.  xxxiv,  2;  Jer. 
xxxiii,  i;  Zech.  xi,  3;  Ps.  xxiii).  The  parable  refers, 
first,  to  the  shepherd's  relation  to  the  fold,  and,  secondly, 
to  the  shepherd's  relation  to  his  sheep.  "  His  own  sheep 
He  calls  by  name."  Each  of  us  has  a  name  (Isa.  xliii,  i, 
xlv,  3,  xlix,  i;  Rev.  iii,  5),  and  God's  name  for  us  is  our 
true  name,  the  name  of  our  true  selves,  what  by  God's 
grace  we  are  to  be.  Simon's  name  was  Peter  (Rev.  ii, 
17).  Some  have  said  that  the  Oriental  shepherd  calls 
his  sheep  by  the  name  of  their  defects.  But  that  can- 
not be  God's  way.    He  calls  us  by  the  name  of  our  noblest 


Ch.  X.  I-2I  GREAT  CONTROVERSY  107 

possibilities.  "  Simon,  thou  shalt  be  called  Rock."  The 
early  Christians  were  called  to  be  saints  and  were  called 
saints,  a  name  far  nobler  and  more  uplifting  than  any  name 
drawn  from  their  imperfectness. 

X,  7-18.  In  these  verses  Jesus  interprets  the  parable 
of  the  shepherd.  Christ  is  the  door.  He  is  the  one  en- 
trance to  the  Church  at  all  times  for  all  men.  There  is 
no  other  entrance.  All  who  pretend  to  be  doors  to  God 
are  impostors.  Salvation,  liberty,  sustenance,  come  of 
Christ  alone.  Abundant  life  is  with  Him  alone.  Christ 
is  also  the  good  Shepherd,  who  is  perfectly  self-sacrificing 
(vv.  1 1 -1 3)  and  who  has  perfect  knowledge  of  His  flock 
(w.  14,  15).  The  thought  of  His  death  suggests  the  world- 
wide effect  of  it.  The  cross  and  the  world  go  together 
(xii,  32;  Eph.  ii,  13).  And  His  work  of  sacrifice,  as  well 
as  His  work  of  revelation,  of  which  He  had  previously 
spoken,  rested  on  perfect  fellowship  with  the  Father.  He 
willed  for  Himself  what  God  willed  for  Him.  He  was 
free  and  He  used  His  freedom  to  obey.  This  is  perfect 
freedom.    This  is  the  obedience  that  pleases  God. 

"  Our  wills  are  ours.    We  know  not  how, 
Our  wills  are  ours  to  make  them  Thine." 

X,  19-21.  Another  division.  As  among  the  multi- 
tude (vii,  43),  as  among  the  Pharisees  (ix,  16),  so  ever, 
Christ  divided  men.  Many  said,  "  He  hath  a  demon," 
(vii,  20;  viii,  48),  "  He  is  mad;  come  away,  don't  listen." 
These  were  afraid  of  His  influence.  Others  said,  "  The 
teaching  and  the  acts  refute  such  a  charge."  So  they 
differed.  We  think  often  that  if  only  Jesus  would  come 
back  and  move  among  men  once  more,  they  would  surely 
be  convinced.  The  doubter  would  trust,  and  the  evil 
man  hate  his  sin.  But  it  would  not  be  so.  Jesus'  pres- 
ence would  reveal  to-day,  as  it  did  then,  the  essential  char- 
acter of  faith  or  unbelief  in  each  man.  Some  would 
welcome  Him;  others  would  say,  "The  man  is  mad." 
What  we  are  doing  with  Jesus  now  is  what  we  would  do 
with  Him  if  He  were  bodily  present  once  more.  He  is 
present  now  in  the  most  real  way.  What  are  we  doing 
with  Him? 


108  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  X.  22-38 


Questions  for  Reflection  a^td  Discussion 

1.  To  whom  or  what  does  Jesus  refer  when  He  speaks 
of  the  thieves  and  robbers  who  came  before  Him? 

2.  What  is  involved  in  Jesus'  words  in  z).  16  when  appUed 
to  the  race  problem  and  the  questions  of  racial  prejudice 
and  nationalism? 

3.  Is  there  any  significance  in  the  substitution  in  the 
American  Standard  Revised  version  in  z;.  16  of  the  word 
"  flock  "  for  the  word  "  fold  "  found  in  the  King  James' 
Version?  Read  John  Ruskin's  "  Notes  on  the  Construc- 
tion of  Sheep  Folds." 

4.  Is  a  hireling  a  hireling  because  he  flees,  or  does  he  flee 
because  he  is  a  hireling?  Is  a  man  a  Har  because  he  lies 
or  does  he  lie  because  he  is  a  liar? 

(s)  Christ's  final  public  testimony  to  Himself  before  the 

Passion,    x,  22-38 

(48)  22  And  it  was  the  feast  of  the  dedication  at  Jerusalem : 
^^  23  it  was  winter;  and  Jesus  was  walking  in  the  temple 
in  Solomon's  porch.  24  The  Jews  therefore  came  round 
about  him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  long  dost  thou  hold 
us  in  suspense?  If  thou  art  the  Christ,  tell  us  plainly. 
25  Jesus  answered  them,  I  told  you,  and  ye  believed  not: 
the  works  that  I  do  in  my  Father's  name,  these  bear  wit- 
ness of  me.  26  But  ye  believe  not,  because  ye  are  not 
of  my  sheep.  27  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know 
them,  and  they  follow  me:  28  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal 
life;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  and  no  one  shall  snatch 
them  out  of  my  hand.  29  My  Father,  who  hath  given 
them  unto  me,  is  greater  than  all;  and  no  one  is  able  to 
snatch  them  out  of  the  Father's  hand.  30  I  and  the  Father 
are  one.  31  The  Jews  took  up  stones  again  to  stone  him. 
32  Jesus  answered  them,  Many  good  works  have  I  showed 
you  from  the  Father;  for  which  of  those  works  do  ye  stone 
me?  33  The  Jews  answered  him.  For  a  good  work  we 
stone  thee  not,  but  for  blasphemy;  and  because  that  thou, 
being  a  man,  makest  thyself  God.  34  Jesus  answered 
them,  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  Ye  are  gods? 
35  If  he  called  them  gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of  God 
came  (and  the  scripture  cannot  be  broken),  36  say  ye  of 
him,  whom  the  Father  sanctified  and  sent  into  the  world, 
Thou  blasphemest;   because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God? 


Ch.  X.  22-38        GREAT  CONTROVERSY  109 

37  If  I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father,  believe  me  not.  38 
But  if  I  do  them,  though  ye  believe  not  me,  believe  the  works: 
that  ye  may  know  and  understand  that  the  Father  is  in 
me,  and  I  in  the  Father. 

This  was  Christ's  final  public  testimony  to  Himself 
before  His  passion.  It  was  the  climax  of  His  public  mani- 
festation. It  was  in  the  eastern  cloister  of  the  temple, 
in  December  {vv.  22,  23;  Acts  iii,  11,  v,  12).  The  Jews 
surrounded  Him  in  this  public  place,  determined  to  have 
a  final  and  unequivocal  answer  from  Him  as  to  who  He 
was.  What  was  His  idea  of  the  Messiahship?  But  Jesus 
will  not  speak  save  to  and  as  a  test  of  faith.  He  does 
not  want  any  national,  political  acceptance.  He  is  seek- 
ing the  loving  spiritual  confidence  of  the  individual  heart. 
He  throws  His  questioners  back  on  their  own  spiritual 
discernment.  If  that  can't  answer  their  query,  no  external 
answer  can  avail.  Answer,  stones.  "  For  which  deed 
from  God  are  you  stoning  me?  "  was  His  calm  inquiry. 
Note  their  reply.  They  were  going  to  stone  Him  because 
He  assumed  the  prerogatives  of  God.  Some  people  will 
not  believe  in  Jesus  to-day  because  they  say  He  did  not 
make  these  very  claims  which  the  Jews  killed  Him  for 
making.  And  note  Jesus'  answer.  He  was  but  fulfilling 
what  the  Old  Testament  had  promised, — a  real  unity  be- 
tween God  and  men.  They  were  rejecting  the  very  end 
of  all  their  education  at  God's  hand.  Then  He  closes, 
as  nearly  on  their  level  as  He  can  come,  with  an  appeal 
to  His  works  once  more  as  signs  {vv.  37,  38). 

"  There  are  two  elements  which  are  still  alive  through- 
out the  domain  of  Protestanism.  One  of  them  is  the  con- 
viction that  in  the  end  religion  is  only  a  steadfast  temper 
of  the  soul,  rooted  in  childlike  trust  in  God;  that  firm, 
cheerful  confidence  which  Paul  Gerhardt  has  so  well 
expressed:  Is  God  for  me,  then  let  all  else  oppose  me. 
The  other  is  that  this  childlike  trust  is  inseparably  bound 
up  with  the  plain,  simple  rule  that  the  moral  life,  in  all  its 
solemnity  and  earnestness,  is  the  correlative  of  religion, 
and  that  without  it  religion  becomes  idolatry  and  a  decep- 
tion of  the  soul.  These  convictions — they  are  summed  up 
in  the  Beatitudes — are  the  strength  of  Protestantism  and 
its  hidden  treasure.    Just  as  they  unquestionably  form 


110  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  X.  39-42 

its  foundation  within  the  boundaries  of  our  common  Chris- 
tianity, so  they  are  at  the  same  time  the  essential  content 
of  the  Gospel  itself." — Harnack. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Was  not  Jesus  right  in  saying  that  He  had  told  them 
clearly  what  He  claimed  to  be?  If  He  had  told  them 
more  or  less  would  they  not  have  misunderstood  Him  even 
worse?  And  to-day  would  not  any  more  or  different 
Christian  evidence  make  true  Christian  faith  more  diflS- 
cult? 

2.  Which  view  does  our  theology  hold,  that  men  do  not 
believe  because  they  are  not  of  Christ's  sheep  or  that 
they  are  not  of  Christ's  sheep  because  they  do  not  believe? 

3.  Do  you  catch  the  full  significance  of  Christ's  two 
points  in  w,  34-36  and  vv.  37,  38? 

(6)  The  diverse  results,     x,  39-42 

(49)  39  They  sought  again  to  take  him:  and  he  went  forth 
^^  out  of  their  hand. 

40  And  he  went  away  again  beyond  the  Jordan  into  the 
place  where  John  was  at  the  first  baptizing;  and  there  he 
abode.  41  And  many  came  unto  him;  and  they  said, 
John  indeed  did  no  sign:  but  all  things  whatsoever  John 
spake  of  this  man  were  true.  42  And  many  believed  on 
him  there. 

Again,  as  ever,  the  opposite  results,  and  Jesus  passed 
out,  rejected  in  Judea  after  a  full  offer  of  Himself  to  the 
leaders  of  the  nation.  In  the  Perea,  whither  He  with- 
drew, He  found  friends  who  were  simple  enough  of  heart 
to  beHeve,  and  who  found  in  Him  the  Shepherd  True. 
Have  we  found  Him?  He  is  calling  still  to  men.  Some 
have  had  trust  in  Him. 

"  I  was  wandering  sad  and  weary 

When  the  Saviour  came  unto  me, 
For  the  paths  of  sin  were  dreary 

And  the  world  had  ceased  to  woo  me. 
And  I  thought  I  heard  Him  say, 
As  He  came  along  His  way, 


Ch.X.  39-42         GREAT  CONTROVERSY  111 

Wand'ring  souls,  O  do  come  near  me, 
My  sheep  should  never  fear  me, 
I  am  the  Shepherd  true,  I  am  the  Shepherd  true. 

"  At  first  I  would  not  hearken 

But  put  off  till  the  morrow, 
Till  life  began  to  darken, 

And  I  grew  sick  with  sorrow, 
Then  I  thought  I  heard  Him  say. 
As  He  came  along  His  way, 

Wand'ring  souls,  O  do  come  near  me. 

My  sheep  should  never  fear  me, 
I  am  the  Shepherd  true,  I  am  the  Shepherd  true, 

**  At  last  I  stopped  to  listen, 

His  voice  could  ne'er  deceive  me, 
I  saw  His  kind  eye  glisten 

So  anxious  to  relieve  me. 
Then  1  knew  I  heard  Him  say, 
As  He  came  along  His  way, 

Wand'ring  souls,  O  do  come  near  me. 

My  sheep  should  never  fear  me, 
I  am  the  Shepherd  true,  I  am  the  Shepherd  tru3. 

**  I  thought  His  love  would  weaken. 
As  more  and  more  He  knew  me. 
But  it  burneth  like  a  beacon. 

And  its  light  and  heat  go  thro'  me, 
And  I  ever  hear  Him  say, 
As  He  goes  along  His  way, 

Wand'ring  souls,  O  do  come  near  me, 
My  sheep  should  never  fear  me, 
I  am  the  Shepherd  true,  I  am  the  Shepherd  true." 

— Faher. 

'  Questions  ^or  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Review  in  thought  the  development  of  unbelief  and 
opposition  among  the  Jews  up  to  this  point. 

2.  How  long  was  Jesus  in  the  Perea  in  this  ministry  and 
what  took  place  in  it?  Matt,  xix,  xx;  Mark  x;  Luke 
xiii,  lo-xviii,  43. 

3.  Is  John  the  Evangelist  faithfully  and  adequately  de- 
veloping his  case? 


112  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  XI.  1-16 

2.  The  Decisive  Judgment,     xi,  xii 
a.  The  final  sign  and  its  result.     Lazarus,     xi,  1-57 


@11 


Now  a  certain  man  was  sick,  Lazarus  of  Beth- 
any, of  the  village  of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha. 
2  And  it  was  that  Mary  who  anointed  the  Lord  with  oint- 
ment, and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair,  whose  brother 
Lazarus  was  sick.  3  The  sisters  therefore  sent  unto  him, 
saying.  Lord,  behold,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick.  4  But 
when  Jesus  heard  it,  he  said.  This  sickness  is  not  unto 
death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  may 
be  glorified  thereby.  5  Now  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her 
sister,  and  Lazarus.  6  When  therefore  he  heard  that  he 
was  sick,  he  abode  at  that  time  two  days  in  the  place  where 
he  was.  7  Then  after  this  he  saith  to  the  disciples.  Let  us 
go  into  Judaea  again.  8  The  disciples  say  unto  him.  Rabbi, 
the  Jews  were  but  now  seeking  to  stone  thee;  and  goest 
thou  thither  again?  9  Jesus  answered.  Are  there  not  twelve 
hours  in  the  day?  If  a  man  walk  in  the  day,  he  stumbleth 
not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this  world.  10  But  if  a 
man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth,  because  the  light 
is  not  in  him.  11  These  things  spake  he:  and  after  this 
he  saith  unto  them.  Our  friend  Lazarus  is  fallen  asleep; 
but  I  go,  that  I  may  awake  him  out  of  sleep.  12  The  dis- 
ciples therefore  said  unto  him.  Lord,  if  he  is  fallen  asleep, 
he  will  recover.  13  Now  Jesus  had  spoken  of  his  death: 
but  they  thought  that  he  spake  of  taking  rest  in  sleep.  14 
Then  Jesus  ttierefore  said  unto  them  plainly,  Lazarus  is 
dead.  15  And  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that  I  was  not 
there,  to  the  intent  ye  may  believe;  nevertheless  let  us 
go  unto  him.  16  Thomas  therefore,  who  is  called  Didjnnus, 
said  unto  his  fellow  disciples,  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may 
die  with  him. 

The  story  bears  every  mark  of  having  been  written  by 
an  eye-witness,  w.  5,  6,  18,  19,  28,  30,  31,  32,  33,  35,  37, 
38,  44.  It  is  the  last  of  the  seven  signs  which  John  selected 
with  the  twofold  purpose  (xx,  30  f)  of  showing  how  faith 
and  unbelief  developed  and  of  inciting  the  reader  to  faith. 
Each  sign  was  a  sign,  ii,  i  ff;  iv,  46  fif;  v,  i  fif;  vi,  5  fif,  15  ff; 
ix,  I  ff;  xi.  "The  village  of  Mary  and  Martha."  Two 
good  women  can  give  a  character  to  a  community  so  that 
the  Saviour  loves  to  come  to  it,  and  in  such  a  community 
what  sickness  there  is  is  not  due  to  vice  or  bad  sanitation. 


Ch.  XI.  17-44       GREAT  CONTROVERSY  113 

If  there  is  sickness  there,  there  will  be  a  divine  meaning 
and  glory  in  it.  "Does  God  Send  Trouble?"  The  be- 
loved author  of  that  little  book  answered  no,  but  apart 
from  all  question  of  words  note  the  fact  as  Jesus  declared 
it  {v.  4).  And  to  reveal  this  glory  hid  in  Lazarus'  death 
into  danger  they  must  go.  Would  they?  Surely  Thomas. 
He  was  of  the  same  heart  with  Ricasoli,  Itahan  patriot 
and  scorner  of  soft  men,  who  "at  the  news  of  Villafranca, 
made  his  will,  and  in  his  own  rough  expression,  'spat  upon 
his  life.'  "  Lazarus  has  been  identified  with  the  Rich 
Young  Ruler  of  Mark  x,  who  came  to  Jesus  and  went 
away  sorrowful.  It  may  be  that  the  identification  is 
purely  fanciful,  but  it  is  pleasant  to  think  upon.  A  great 
sorrow  was  to  Jesus  a  great  opportunity.  He  was  glad 
that  He  had  not  been  present  before  Lazarus'  death,  for 
now  He  had  yet  a  greater  opportunity  to  render  service 
and  to  inspire  faith.  The  darker  our  night,  the  more 
radiant  His  coming.  When  our  sorrow  seems  greater 
than  it  need  have  been,  and  to  be  without  meaning  to 
us,  let  us  wait  until  we  see  what  He  means  by  it  and 
what  He  means  to  do  for  us  through  it. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Have  not  rehef  and  victory  often  come  to  us,  as  to 
these  sisters,  in  our  darkest  hours?  Have  you  read  and 
taken  home  the  lessons  of  Chesterton's  "The  Ballad  of 
the  White  Horse"? 

2.  How  much  do  we  know  about  Mary  and  Martha, 
and  can  you  form  a  conception  of  their  personalities  which 
seems  to  you  just? 

3.  What  do  you  make  out  to  be  the  meaning  of  w.  9 
and  10? 

4.  What  can  those  who  say  that  Christ's  works  were 
not  meant  to  have  an  evidential  significance  make  out 
of  z'.  15?  What  but  repudiate  the  record?  But  the 
record  of  the  works  and  of  the  interpretation  of  them 
is  all  one. 

(^  17  So  when  Jesus  came,  he  found  that  he  had  been 
^^  in  the  tomb  four  days  already.  18  Now  Bethany  was 
nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen  fiu-longs  off;  19  and 
many  of  the  Jews  had  come  to  Martha  and  Mary,  to  con- 


114  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  XI.  17-44 

sole  them  concerning  their  brother.  20  Martha  there- 
fore, when  she  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming,  went  and 
met  him:  but  Mary  still  sat  in  the  house.  21  Martha 
therefore  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here, 
my  brother  had  not  died.  22  And  even  now  I  know  that, 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  ask  of  God,  God  will  give  thee.  23 
Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again.  24 
Martha  saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again 
in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day.  25  Jesus  said  unto 
her,  I  am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life:  he  that  believeth 
on  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live;  26  and  whosoever 
liveth  and  beUeveth  on  me  shall  never  die.  Believest  thou 
this?  27  She  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord:  I  have  believed 
that  thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  even  he  that  com- 
eth  into  the  world.  28  And  when  she  had  said  this,  she 
went  away,  and  called  Mary  her  sister  secretly,  saying. 
The  Teacher  is  here,  and  calleth  thee.  29  And  she,  when 
she  heard  it,  arose  quickly,  and  went  unto  him.  30  (Now 
Jesus  was  not  yet  come  into  the  village,  but  was  still  in 
the  place  where  Martha  met  him.)  31  The  Jews  tiien 
who  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and  were  consoling  her, 
when  they  saw  Mary,  that  she  rose  up  quickly  and  went 
out,  followed  her,  supposing  that  she  was  going  unto  the 
tomb  to  weep  there.  32  Mary  therefore,  when  she  came 
where  Jesus  was,  and  saw  him,  fell  down  at  his  feet,  saying 
unto  him.  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not 
died.  33  When  Jesus  therefore  saw  her  weeping,  and  the 
Jews  also  weeping  who  came  with  her,  he  groaned  in  the 
spirit,  and  was  troubled,  34  and  said.  Where  have  ye  laid 
him?  They  say  unto  him.  Lord,  come  and  see.  35  Jesus 
wept.  36  The  Jews  therefore  said.  Behold  how  he  loved 
him?  37  But  some  of  them  said.  Could  not  this  man, 
who  opened  the  eyes  of  him  that  was  blind,  have  caused 
that  this  man  also  should  not  die?  38  Jesus  therefore 
again  groaning  in  himself  cometh  to  tiie  tomb.  Now  it 
was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  lay  against  it.  39  Jesus  saith. 
Take  ye  away  the  stone.  Martha,  the  sister  of  him  that 
was  dead,  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  by  this  time  the  body  decay- 
eth;  for  he  hath  been  dead  four  days.  40  Jesus  saith 
unto  her.  Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  believest,  thou 
shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God?  41  So  they  took  away  the 
stone.  And  Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  said,  Father, 
I  thank  thee  that  thou  heardest  me.  42  And  I  knew  that 
thou  hearest  me  always:  but  because  of  the  multitude  that 
standeth  aroimd  I  said  it,  that  they  may  believe  that  thou 
didst  send  me.  43  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come  forth.    44  He  that  was 


Ch.  XL  17-44       GREAT  CONTROVERSY  115 

dead  came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot  with  grave-clothes; 
and  his  face  was  bound  about  with  a  napkin.  Jesus  saith 
unto  them,  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go. 

And  Jesus  came  and  raised  the  dead.  We  are  not  of 
those  of  little  faith.  We  do  not  explain  away  the  miracle. 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Lord  of  Life,  raised  the  dead  man  who 
was  His  friend  to  hfe  again.  This  is  what  He  did.  He 
made  alive  a  man  who  was  dead.  And  He  wept  as  He 
did  it.  We  may  say  He  wept  to  see  in  death  the  ravages 
of  sin,  or  because  of  the  unbelief  of  those  about,  or  out 
of  pure  love.  Enough  for  us  that  He  who  came  to  show 
us  God  showed  us  the  tenderheartedness  of  God.  This 
which  Jesus  did  He  called  the  glory  of  God.  The  mani- 
festation of  a  power  over  death  was  a  revealing  of  the 
character  of  God.  He  is  all  life  and  the  foe  of  all  death. 
When  His  ends  are  at  last  attained,  death  will  not  be 
any  more,  and  all  those  who  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus 
wiU  live  again.  Meanwhile  in  the  shadow  of  every  great 
sorrow  we  know  now  that  the  tenderhearted  God  is  with 
us,  and  though  He  does  not  give  us  back  our  loved  ones, 
we  hear  Him  weeping  with  us  and  we  rest  in  His  love 
and  are  content  to  wait  until  the  daybreak  and  the  shadows 
flee  away. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Disctcssion 

1.  What  light  does  this  paragraph  throw  on  Jesus' 
life  of  prayer  and  fellowship  with  God?      vv.  22,  41,  42. 

2.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life.  Note 
is,  not  ''shall  be."  And  note  that  it  is  "is,"  not  "teaches," 
''reveals,"  "gives."  Here  is  a  picture  of  Christianity  ab- 
solutely unique.  Jesus  Christ  is  His  religion  and  His 
religion  is  resurrection  and  life.  Whoever  heard  of  any- 
thing in  any  non-Christian  rehgion  in  any  way  resembling 
this? 

3.  What  was  Jesus'  view  of  death?  What  did  He  say 
of  it?  How  did  He  bear  Himself  toward  it  when  He  met 
it?  Mr.  Moody  used  to  say  in  his  pungent  speech,  "Jesus 
broke  up  every  funeral  He  attended." 

4.  What  is  death?    And  what  is  hfe? 


116  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  XI.  45-46 

(7^  45  Many  therefore  of  the  Jews,  who  came  to  Mary 
^-^  and  beheld  that  which  he  did,  believed  on  him.  46 
But  some  of  them  went  away  to  the  Pharisees,  and  told 
them  the  things  which  Jesus  had  done. 

Here  we  have  an  exact  fulfillment  of  that  which  Jesus 
put  into  the  mouth  of  Abraham  in  the  parable  of  Dives 
and  Lazarus.  "Neither  will  they  be  convinced  though 
one  rose  from  the  dead."  Even  of  those  who  actually 
saw  this  miracle,  some  did  not  believe  but  went  away 
to  report  to  the  Pharisees.  Perhaps  they  said  "Lazarus 
was  not  dead  at  all.  It  was  all  a  trick."  Or  perhaps, 
"He  was  just  in  a  trance,"  or  some,  perhaps,  "The  man 
is  a  magician  of  some  kind.  It  looks  like  a  miracle,  but 
we  will  not  believe  it.  That  is  the  most  unlikely  explana- 
tion of  what  we  have  seen."  Or  some  doubtless  said, 
"We  can't  trust  ourselves  to  account  for  this.  We  must 
find  out  what  the  great  men  think  about  it."  But  there 
were  others  who  saw  and  believed.  They  believed  not 
only  what  they  saw,  but  what  was  far  more,  they  believed 
on  Jesus.  They  laid  their  wearied  hearts  on  His  breast. 
They  came  at  last  after  all  their  wanderings  and  their 
dissatisfaction  to  Him,  and  they  found  peace  to  their  souls. 
This  is  a  picture  of  what  would  happen  to-day.  If  Jesus 
were  here  and  raised  a  man,  some  would  deny.  When 
He  does  raise  men  from  moral  death,  there  are  many 
who  deny  the  miracle.  "He  wasn't  dead,"  they  say, 
or  "He  raised  himself."    Ask  Lazarus. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  it  not  true  that  any  evidence  can  be  resisted? 
Do  we  not  see  constantly  in  our  own  law-courts  instances 
where  true  testimony  is  utterly  rejected? 

2.  Is  our  theory  of  nature  so  fixed  that  if  the  Second 
Coming  of  Christ  should  occur  we  would  be  incapable 
of  recognizing  it?  Would  the  miracle  of  the  Incarnation 
have  been  as  unimaginable  to  us  if  we  had  Hved  in  Christ's 
time  as  any  miracle  would  be  to  some  of  us  to-day? 

3.  And  yet  are  we  not  seeing  constantly  things  that  are 
supernatural,  e.g.,  the  divine  will  in  human  wills  over- 
ruHng  nature,  and  physical  events  which  are  supernatural 


Ch.  XI.  47-53       GREAT  CONTROVERSY  117 

and  inexplicable,  e.g.,  the  appearance  in  a  house  of  a  new 
soul  when  a  child  is  born,  making  three  souls  where  there 
had  been  but  two, — would  not  this  be  a  miracle  if  it  were 
not  common.  But  does  the  fact  that  a  thing  happens  often 
make  it  naturalistic? 

^  47  The  chief  priests  therefore  and  the  Pharisees 
^^  gathered  a  council,  and  said,  What  do  we?  for  this  man 
doeth  many  signs.  48  If  we  let  him  thus  alone,  all  men 
will  believe  on  him;  and  the  Romans  will  come  and  take 
away  both  our  place  and  our  nation.  49  But  a  certain 
one  of  them,  Caiaphas,  being  high  priest  that  year,  said 
unto  them,  Ye  know  nothing  at  all,  50  nor  do  ye  take  account 
that  it  is  expedient  for  you  that  one  man  should  die  for  the 
people,  and  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not.  51  Now 
this  he  said  not  of  himself:  but  being  high  priest  that  year, 
he  prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die  for  the  nation;  52  and 
not  for  the  nation  only,  but  that  he  might  also  gather  together 
into  one  the  children  of  God  that  are  scattered  abroad. 
53  So  from  that  day  forth  they  took  counsel  that  they 
might  put  him  to  death. 

The  Pharisees  do  not  now  deny  that  Jesus  was  doing 
great  wonders.  They  even  recognize  that  His  wonders 
are  signs.  But  instead  of  humbly  studying  them  or  seeking 
to  know  the  truth,  they  make  the  very  greatness  and  won- 
derfulness  of  Jesus  a  reason  for  hate  and  flattery.  "If 
we  let  Him  alone,"  they  said,  "all  men  will  believe,  and 
the  Romans  will  come  and  destroy  us."  So  they  did 
not  let  Him  alone.  What  was  the  issue?  The  Romans 
came  and  destroyed  them.  If  they  had  let  Jesus  alone, 
it  might  well  have  been  that  the  Romans  would  have 
let  them  alone.  The  reasoning  by  which  we  defend  wrong- 
doing always  has  a  flaw  in  it.  We  may  not  be  able  to 
detect  it,  but  it  is  there.  The  logic  of  wrong-doing  may 
look  impregnable,  but  in  the  end  the  tiniest  little  child 
with  truth  on  his  side  will  prevail  against  it.  It  was 
indeed  expedient  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  nation, 
but  woe  to  the  nation  that  slew  Him  and  that  would  not 
accept  the  gift  of  life  which  He  offered  through  death. 


118  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  XI.  54-57 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  In  what  sense  did  Jesus  die  for  the  nation? 

2.  Who  were  "the  children  of  God  that  are  scattered 
abroad"? 

3.  Jesus  is  let  alone  to-day.  Why  do  not  all  men  beheve 
on  Him?  The  Pharisees  might  have  known  from  their 
own  hearts  that  Jesus  is  not  irresistible  and  that  even  when 
He  is  let  alone  to  exercise  His  spell  men  can  and  do  deny 
Him.    Why? 

^  54  Jesus  therefore  walked  no  more  openly  among 
^-^  the  Jews,  but  departed  thence  into  the  country  near  to 
the  wilderness,  into  a  city  called  Ephraim;  and  there  he  tar- 
ried with  the  disciples.  55  Now  the  passover  of  the  Jews 
was  at  hand;  and  many  went  up  to  Jerusalem  out  of  the 
country  before  the  passover,  to  purify  themselves.  56 
They  sought  therefore  for  Jesus,  and  spake  one  with  another, 
as  they  stood  in  the  temple.  What  think  ye?  That  he  will 
not  come  to  the  feast?  57  Now  the  chief  priests  and  the 
Pharisees  had  given  commandment,  that,  if  any  man  knew 
where  he  was,  he  should  show  it,  that  they  might  take 
him. 

These  were  Jesus'  last  quiet  days  with  the  disciples 
before  the  final  great  week.  He  knew  what  was  coming. 
Doubtless  they  must  have  reaUzed,  also,  that  the  end 
was  near.  In  their  common  sorrow  they  spent  these 
peaceful  days  in  the  calm  of  the  coimtry.  We  may  be 
sure  that  He  used  the  time  to  good  advantage  in  training 
the  twelve.  But  what  He  said  and  did  we  do  not  know. 
After  all,  it  is  of  but  a  few  of  Jesus'  years  that  we  know 
anything  and  of  but  a  few  days  in  these  years.  The 
unrecorded  days  were  not  empty.  John  tells  us  else- 
where that  if  all  that  Jesus  had  said  and  done  had  been 
written  down,  the  world  itself  would  not  contain  the  books 
that  would  be  written.  That  was  a  vivid  and  picturesque 
way  of  suggesting  how  busy  and  rich  the  life  of  Jesus 
had  been,  and  it  shows  us  how  full  such  days  as  these 
at  Ephraim  were  of  teaching  and  incident.  They  were 
included  in  ''that  best  part  of  any  good  man's  life,  his 
little  unrecorded  acts  of  kindness  and  of  love."  What 
are  our  days  in  secluded  places  filled  with?  Did  we  spend 
our  last  vacation  as  Jesus  spent  His  days  at  Ephraim? 


Ch.  XII.  i-ii      GREAT  CONTROVERSY  119 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Of  how  many  of  the  days  of  Jesus'  public  life  have 
we  any  record?    One-third?    One-tenth? 

2.  Is  it  possible  for  men  to  maintain  an  attitude  of  mere 
neutrahty  toward  Jesus?  The  Pharisees  could  not  do 
so  because  there  was  Jesus  before  them  all  the  time.  If 
men  to-day  are  able  to  be  calmly  neutral  because  not 
daily  confronted  with  Jesus  and  compelled  to  decide  with 
regard  to  Him,  whose  fault  is  it? 

b.  The  close  of  Christ's  pubHc  ministry  in  judgment,     xii 

John  omits  the  account  of  the  last  great  controversy 
(Matt,  xxii,  15-46;  Mark  -xii,  13-34;  Luke  xx).  He 
has  no  need  for  it.  His  picture  of  the  development  is 
complete.  He  only  records  now  the  judgments  passed 
on  Jesus  by|(i)  devoted  Mary,  vv.  1-8;  (2)  hostile  priests, 
vv.  9-1 1 ;  (3)  enthusiastic  people,  vv.  12-18;  (4)  discomfited 
Pharisees,  v.  19;  (5)  desiring  Gentiles,  vv.  20-33;  (6) 
the  perplexed  multitude,  vv.  34-36;  (7)  the  evangelist, 
^-  37~43;  and  (8)  Christ  Himself,  vv.  44-50.  "This 
chapter  is  at  once  a  closing  and  a  preparation." — Luthardt, 

(i)  The  feast  at  Bethany,     xii,  i -11 

(5?)  1  2  J®sus  therefore  six  days  before  the  passover 
^-^  -*■  ^  came  to  Bethany,  where  Lazarus  was,  whom  Jesus 
raised  from  the  dead.  2  So  they  made  him  a  supper  there : 
and  Martha  served;  but  Lazarus  was  one  of  them  that  sat 
at  meat  with  him.  3  Mary  therefore  took  a  pound  of 
ointment  of  pure  nard,  very  precious,  and  anointed  the 
feet  of  Jesus,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair:  and  the  house 
was  fiUed  with  the  odor  of  the  ointment.  4  But  Judas 
Iscariot,  one  of  his  disciples,  that  should  betray  him,  saith, 
5  Why  was  not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hundred  shil- 
lings, and  given  to  the  poor?  6  Now  this  he  said,  not  be- 
cause he  cared  for  the  poor;  but  because  he  was  a  thief, 
and  having  the  bag  took  away  what  was  put  therein.  7 
Jesus  therefore  said,  Suffer  her  to  keep  it  against  the  day 
of  my  burying.  8  For  the  poor  ye  have  always  with  you; 
but  me  ye  have  not  always. 
9  The  common  people   therefore   of  the   Jews  learned 


120  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  XII.  i-ii 

that  he  was  there:  and  they  came,  not  for  Jesus*  sake 
only,  but  that  they  might  see  Lazarus  also,  whom  he  had 
raised  from  the  dead.  lo  But  the  chief  priests  took  coun- 
sel that  they  might  put  Lazarus  also  to  death;  ii  because 
that  by  reason  of  him  many  of  the  Jews  went  away,  and 
believed  on  Jesus. 

xii,  1-7.  We  have  here  Jesus'  approval  of  gifts  of  love. 
The  gift  of  the  ointment  was  neither  necessary  nor  useful 
to  Jesus,  but  nevertheless  He  approved  it.  It  expressed 
love  and  it  rejoiced  His  heart.  We  may  plead  Jesus' 
sanction  of  our  loving  gifts  to  our  loved  ones.  The  poor 
are  with  us  always,  and  we  are  under  permanent  obliga- 
tions to  them,  but  those  obligations  we  can  meet  by  cutting 
ofE  our  selfish  indulgences.  We  are  not  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  cutting  off  our  gifts  of  love.  The  little 
children  and  all  who  are  dear  to  us  are  entitled  to  such 
practical  utterances  of  our  love  as  Jesus  received  from 
His  friend  Mary.  But  Judas  had  a  word  of  criticism. 
No  one  but  a  man  of  bad  heart  could  have  entertained  the 
thought  which  Judas  entertained  or  have  spoken  his  word. 
And  John  candidly  utters  his  mind  about  him.  His 
professed  interest  in  the  poor  was  false.  He  wanted 
Mary's  love  expressed  in  cash  which  he  could  steal.  There 
is  something  bad  in  the  character  of  any  man  who  does 
not  love  to  see  love  show  itself  as  love.  Love  is  of  God, 
and  whoever  is  cynical  toward  it  has  an  alien  heart  toward 
God,  while  all  those  who  rejoice  in  it  are  in  a  mood  for 
God. 

xii,  8-1 1.  The  common  people  had  heard  Him  gladly 
at  the  beginning,  and  now  at  the  end  they  come  out  to 
see  Him.  The  common  people  are  always  the  easily 
led,  but  their  better  instincts  against  which  they  are  often 
led  are  usually  right.  God  must  have  loved  the  common 
people,  Lincoln  remarked,  because  He  made  so  many  of 
them,  and  from  among  them,  most  of  those  have  come 
who  have  returned  His  love.  It  was  the  friend  of  Jesus 
who  drew  them  as  well  as  Jesus.  In  Browning's  "Epistle 
of  Karshish,  an  Arab  Physician,"  there  is  a  wonderful 
study  of  this  after  life  of  Lazarus.  It  is  not  strange  that 
people  flocked  to  see  him.  The  wonder  of  his  physical 
resurrection  could  not  be  greater  than  the  marvel  of  his 


Ch.  XII.  12-19      GREAT  CONTROVERSY  121 

new  intellectual  and  spiritual  outlook.  He  drew  people 
by  virtue  of  what  Jesus  had  done  for  him  and  he  drew  them 
to  Jesus.  But  by  the  same  law  he  shared  the  bitterness 
of  Jesus'  foes.  Whoever  would  tread  one  way  with  Jesus 
must  tread  two.  If  we  share  the  love  of  those  who  love 
Jesus,  we  must  be  prepared  for  the  hate  of  those  who 
hate  Jesus,  or,  if  that  is  rare  to-day,  for  the  lukewarmness 
or  indifference  of  those  who  do  not  care  for  Him. 
If  only  we  knew  what  Lazarus  told: 

"Where  wert  thou,  brother,  those  four  days? 
There  lives  no  record  of  reply 
Which  telling  what  it  is  to  die 
Had  surely  added  praise  to  praise. 

"  From  every  house  the  neighbors  met 

The  streets  were  filled  with  joyful  sound 
A  solemn  gladness  even  crowned 
The  purple  brows  of  Olivet. 

"Behold  a  man  raised  up  by  Christ! 
The  rest  remaineth  unrevealed. 
He  told  it  not,  or  something  sealed 
The  lips  of  that  Evangelist." — Tennyson, 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Ought  a  man  to  feel  that  he  is  not  free  to  use  any 
money  in  gifts  of  friendship  or  charity  until  he  has  first 
paid  all  his  debts? 

2.  Is  not  the  principle  of  giving  Christmas  gifts  in  our 
homes,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  money  spent  might  be 
devoted  to  charity,  sanctioned  by  these  words  of  Jesus? 

3.  Can  you  conceive  what  the  Hfe  of  Lazarus  must  have 
been  after  such  an  experience? 

4.  Why  is  it  that  evidence  that  convinces  some  people 
does  not  convince  others,  that  Faraday  should  believe  on 
Christ  and  Huxley  not? 

(2)  The  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem,    xii,  12-19 

Q\  12  On  the  morrow  a  great  multitude  that  had  come 
^^  to  the  feast,  when  they  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming  to 
7srusalem,  13  took  the  branches  of  the  palm  trees,  and  went 


122  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  XII.  12-19 

forth  to  meet  him,  and  cried  out,  Hosanna:  Blessed  is  he 
that  cometii  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  even  the  King  of 
Israel.  14  And  Jesus,  having  found  a  young  ass,  sat  thereon ; 
as  it  is  written,  15  Fear  not,  daughter  of  Zion:  behold, 
thy  King  cometh,  sitting  on  an  ass's  colt.  16  These  things 
understood  not  his  disciples  at  the  first:  but  when  Jesus 
was  glorified,  then  remembered  they  that  these  things 
were  written  of  him,  and  that  they  had  done  these  things 
unto  him.  17  The  multitude  therefore  that  was  with  him 
when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of  the  tomb,  and  raised  him 
from  tlie  dead,  bare  witness.  18  For  this  cause  also  the 
multitude  went  and  met  him,  for  that  they  heard  that  he 
had  done  this  sign.  19  The  Pharisees  therefore  said 
among  themselves.  Behold  how  ye  prevail  nothing;  lo, 
the  world  is  gone  after  him. 

These  were  crowded,  exciting  days.  Jesus  alone  was 
entirely  calm  through  them  all.  He  knew  fully  what 
was  coming.  He  watched  events  as  they  came  and 
passed,  understanding  exactly  what  they  meant  and  where 
they  tended.  But  the  multitudes  were  like  led  children, 
and  their  leaders  were  like  infatuated  men.  Even  the 
disciples  were  confused  in  the  hurrying  maze  and  only 
afterwards  looking  back  were  able  to  understand  and 
interpret  that  in  which  they  had  had  an  active  part. 
This  day  especially  was  a  great  clamorous  day.  For 
once  the  people  broke  from  restraint  and  poured  their 
enthusiasm  around  Him.  It  was  not  deep,  and  it  was 
not  the  faith  for  which  He  sought,  but  he  allowed  it, 
knowing  well  how  little  it  meant,  and  yet  how  much. 
The  comment  of  the  Pharisees  was  one  of  those  words 
like  the  word  of  Caiaphas  (xi,  50)  which  say  a  great  deal 
more  than  the  original  speaker  meant.  "Behold  how 
you  prevail  nothing;  lo,  the  world  is  gone  after  Him." 
So  still.  His  foes  prevail  nothing.  He  abides.  It  is 
with  the  living  Word  as  it  is  with  the  written  Word.  The 
hammers  wear  out.    The  anvil  remains. 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

I.  What  must  have  been  the  different  meanings  of  this 
entry  to  Jesus,  to  His  disciples,  to  the  Pharisees,  to  the 
multitudes? 


Ch.  XII.  20-36      GREAT  CONTROVERSY  123 

2.  In  what  sense  and  by  what  principles  did  Jesus 
fulfill  the  Old  Testament  sacrifice?  Read  Edersheim, 
"Prophecy  and  History  in  Relation  to  the  Messiah." 

3.  "They  understood  not  at  the  time,  but  afterwards 
when  He  was  gone,  they  remembered."  How  much  of 
life's  tragedy  these  words  describe !  If  only,  understanding 
now,  we  could  recall  the  dead  and  make  amends! 

(3)  The  request  of  the  Greeks,  the  voice  from  heaven, 
and  the  final  warning,    xii,  20-36  . 

(p\  20  Now  there  were  certain  Greeks  among  those  that 
^-^  went  up  to  worship  at  the  feast:  21  these  therefore 
came  to  Philip,  who  was  of  Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  and  asked 
him,  saying,  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus.  22  Philip  cometh 
and  telleth  Andrew:  Andrew  cometh,  and  Philip,  and  they 
tell  Jesus.  23  And  Jesus  answereth  them,  saying,  The 
hour  is  come,  that  the  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified.  24 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Except  a  grain  of  wheat  fall 
into  the  earth  and  die,  it  abideth  by  itself  alone;  but  if  it 
die,  it  beareth  much  fruit.  25  He  that  loveth  his  life  losetii 
it;  and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it 
unto  life  eternal.  26  If  any  man  serve  me,  let  him  follow 
me;  and  where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant  be:  if 
any  man  serve  me,  him  will  the  Father  honor.  27  Now 
is  my  soul  troubled;  and  what  shall  I  say?  Father,  save 
me  from  this  hour.  But  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this 
hour.  28  Father,  glorify  thy  name.  There  came  there- 
fore a  voice  out  of  heaven,  saying,  I  have  both  glorified 
it,  and  will  glorify  it  again.  29  The  multitude  therefore, 
that  stood  by,  and  heard  it,  said  that  it  had  thundered: 
others  said.  An  angel  hath  spoken  to  him.  30  Jesus  an- 
swered and  said.  This  voice  hath  not  come  for  my  sake, 
but  for  your  sakes.  31  Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world: 
now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out.  32  And  I, 
if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  my- 
self. 33  But  this  he  said,  signifying  by  what  manner 
of  death  he  should  die.  34  The  multitude  therefore  an- 
swered him.  We  have  heard  out  of  the  law  that  the  Christ 
abideth  for  ever:  and  how  sayest  thou,  The  Son  of  man 
must  be  lifted  up?  who  is  this  Son  of  man?  35  Jesus 
therefore  said  unto  them.  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light 
among  you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  that  darkness 
overtake  you  not:  and  he  that  walketh  in  the  darkness 
knoweth   not   whither  he   goeth.     36  While   ye   have   the 


124  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  XII.  20-36 

light,  believe  on  the  light,  that  ye  may  become  sons  of 
light. 

There  is  thought  in  these  verses  for  meditation  forever: 
The  soul's  supreme  need  and  desire;  "We  would  see 
Jesus."  The  law  of  reproduced  hfe  and  abiding  influence; 
"Except  a  grain  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die, 
it  abideth  alone,  but  if  it  die  it  beareth  much  fruit." 
The  law  of  life's  lastingness;  give  up  the  love  of  Hfe  for 
the  sake  of  the  Hfe  of  love.  The  law  of  the  eternal  fel- 
lowship; "If  any  man  serve  me,  let  him  follow  me,  and 
where  I  am,  there  shall  my  servant  be."  The  secret 
of  Christ's  resistlessness;  "I,  if  I  be  Ufted  up,  will  draw." 
We  do  not  know  whether  the  Greeks  saw  Him.  He  was 
sifting  out  the  multitudes  again,  and  to  their  literalistic 
questioning  answered  again  in  His  old  metaphor  of  the 
hght:  "While  ye  have  the  light  believe  on  the  light  that 
ye  may  become  sons  of  light."  Nothing  could  be  more 
exasperating  to  those  who  must  have  mechanical  proof, 
dry-as-death  arguments.  Nothing  could  be  simpler  to 
those  who,  hearkening  to  His  call,  should  simply  open 
their  eyes  and  see.  To  the  man  of  shut  eyes,  "BHnd  man, 
here  is  a  treatise  on  optics.  Be  convinced."  The  blind 
man  is  still  blind.  "Blind  man,  open  your  eyes  and  look." 
He  looks  and  lo!  a  world  aglow  and  heaven's  fair  country, 
too,  with  its  eternal  glory. 

"  All  very  well— but  the  good  Lord  Jesus  has  had  His  day!  " 
*'  Had?    Has  it  come?     It  has  only  dawned.     It  wiU  come  by 
and  by." — Tennyson. 

"While  ye  have  the  light,  beHeve."  Cf.  Luke  xvi,  8; 
IThess.  V,  5;  Eph.  v,  8.  This  was  Christ's  last  recorded 
utterance  to  the  world.  His  final  warning  and  invitation. 
After  this  the  Light  withdrew  and  they  saw  His  face 
no  more  till  they  looked  upon  it  in  hate  and  fear  and 
sought  to  extinguish  it  upon  the  cross. 

"It  is  the  last  appeal  to  man! — 
Voice  crying  since  the  world  began: 
The  cry  of  the  Ideal — cry 
To  aspiration  that  would  die. 
The  last  appeal !  in  it  is  heard 
The  pathos  of  the  final  word." — Markham. 


Ch.  XII.  20-36      GREAT  CONTROVERSY  125 


Qw  if  ions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Would  we  really  like  to  see  Jesus  and  take  the  con- 
sequences? Can  we  imagine  what  the  consequences  would 
be?  If  so,  have  we  not  as  good  as  seen  Him  and  ought 
we  not  to  take  those  consequences  now? 

2.  What  is  the  law  of  gain  by  loss,  of  power  by  renun- 
ciation, of  victory  by  surrender,  of  life  by  death?  Can 
we  think  of  illustrations  of  it?  In  nature,  in  history,  in 
life? 

3.  How  does  it  come  that  the  same  phenomenon  can 
have  three  so  widely  varying  intrepretations?    vv.  28-30. 

4.  Once  again,  suppose  Jesus  to  have  been  what  Ht 
claimed  to  be,  a  spiritual  Messiah,  the  Son  of  Man  and 
the  Son  of  God  in  a  meaning  absolutely  new,  involving 
conceptions  of  man  and  God  which  He  Himself  had  to 
create,  and  suppose  Him  to  have  been  met  with  a  literalism 
and  materiaUsm  of  mind  which  could  not  take  in  His 
new  conceptions  and  which  would  have  misconstrued 
into  worse  misunderstanding  any  language  of  His 
except  such  as  might  be  incapable  of  Hteralization,  and 
suppose  Jesus  to  have  understood  all  this  and  to  have 
chosen  His  language  on  purpose  to  escape  this  danger  and 
to  introduce  men's  minds  to  the  new  world  of  ideas  and 
hfe  which  He  was  inaugurating — does  this  not  make  the 
record  clear  to  us,  and  show  us  the  masterly  fidelity  of 
John's  account,  and  witness  by  its  inherent  originality  and 
accuracy  to  the  validity  of  John's  argument  in  behalf  of 
Christ's  deity?  Who  could  have  invented  the  psychology 
of  this  development  and  culmination  of  unbelief,  this 
effort  to  create  a  new  order  of  life  and  ideas?  It  is  harder 
to  believe  that  all  this  is  fiction  than  to  recognize  it  as 
history,  and  yet  it  is  not  mere  history,  i.e.,  hfe  that  has 
been.  It  is  Hfe,  eternal  life,  offering  itself  in  present 
experience  and  authenticating  itself  there. 

(4)  The  judgment  of  John,     xii,  37-43 

(Ss)  These  things  spake  Jesus,  and  he  departed  and  hid 
^^  himself  from  them.  37  But  though  he  had  done  so 
many  signs  before  them,  yet  they  believed  not  on  him: 


126  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.  XII.  37-43 

38  that  the  word  of  Isaiah  the  prophet  might  be  fulfilled, 
which  he  spake, 

Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report? 

And  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed? 

39  For  this  cause  they  could  not  believe,  for  that  Isaiah 
said  again, 

40  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes,   and  he  hardened  their 

heart; 
Lest  they  should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  perceive  with  their 

heart. 
And  should  tiim. 
And  I  should  heal  them. 

41  These  things  said  Isaiah,  because  he  saw  his  glory; 
and  he  spake  of  him.  42  Nevertheless  even  of  the  rul- 
ers many  believed  on  him;  but  because  of  the  Pharisees 
they  did  not  confess  «7,  lest  they  should  be  put  out  of  the 
synagogue :  43  for  they  loved  the  glory  that  is  of  men  more 
than  the  glory  that  is  of  God. 

John  has  meditated  earnestly  on  the  question  which 
troubles  us.  Why  is  it  that  some  believe  and  some  do 
not  believe?  The  fact  is  obvious.  He  could  not  find 
any  explanation.  Some  would  see  and  some  would  not 
see.  So  he  fell  back  on  the  old  Hebrew  mode  of  statement . 
used  by  Isaiah.  Whenever  the  Jew  came  face  to  face 
with  mystery  he  leaned  back  on  the  will  of  God.  He 
did  not  mean  to  make  God  responsible  for  evil  or  loss. 
It  was  just  his  way  of  saying  that  the  mystery  was  too 
great  for  him  and  must  be  classed  with  the  one  supreme 
mystery  of  God's  order  and  our  liberty.  We  shall  have 
to  wait,  he  felt,  for  the  solution  of  that  central  problem, 
and  then  all  the  problems  which  grow  out  of  it  can  be 
understood.  Meanwhile,  says  John,  in  spite  of  Isaiah's 
strong  word,  there  were  even  Pharisees  who  used  their 
freedom  of  will  to  believe,  but  though  no  decree  of  God's 
hampered  them,  they  hampered  themselves  and  hid  their 
faith  from  fear.  It  is  not  God's  fault  if  any  man  disbe- 
lieves, or  if  believing,  he  is  a  coward  and  a  compromiser. 
And  yet  the  mystery  remains: 

"  Not  through  Thy  fault,  O  Holy  One, 
We  lose  Thee.     Nay,  but  our  own. 
Yet  Thou  hast  made  us  so." 


Ch.XIL44-So      GREAT  CONTROVERSY  127 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  The  Semitic  mind  felt  the  need  which  the  modern 
mind  feels  of  unifying  the  world  under  one  principle  of 
thought.  The  sovereignty  of  God  seemed  to  it  the  most 
rational  principle.  Is  there  any  other  that  can  unify 
the  world  to  our  thought? 

2.  Have  we  really  advanced  one  step  in  solving  the  prob- 
lem of  the  relation  of  human  freedom,  and  of  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  individual  which  cannot  exist  without 
human  freedom,  to  the  principle  of  the  sovereignty  of  God? 

3.  How  much  Christian  belief  to-day  is  concealed  as 
this  beUef  among  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrin  was? 
Is  such  belief  Christian?  If  it  is,  can  it  continue  so? 
These  are  very  real  problems  to-day  in  India.  How  shall 
missionaries  deal  with  them? 

(5)  The  judgment  of  Christ,    xii,  44-50 

(pg\  44  And  Jesus  cried  and  said,  He  that  believeth  on 
^-^  me,  believeth  not  on  me,  but  on  him  that  sent  me.  4.5 
And  he  that  beholdeth  me  beholdeth  him  that  sent  me 
46  I  am  come  a  light  into  the  world,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth on  me  may  not  abide  in  the  darkness.  47  And 
if  any  man  hear  my  sayings,  and  keep  them  not,  I  judge 
him  not:  for  I  came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save 
the  world.  48  He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not 
my  sayings,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him;  the  word  that  I 
spake,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day.  49  For  I 
spake  not  from  myself;  but  the  Father  that  sent  me,  he  hath 
given  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,  and  what  I 
should  speak.  50  And  I  know  that  his  commandment  is 
life  eternal;  the  things  therefore  which  I  speak,  even  as 
the  Father  hath  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak. 

This  section  seems  to  be  a  summary  by  John  of  what 
Jesus  had  said  in  these  critical  discussions  with  the  people. 
Perhaps  before  He  withdrew  Jesus  had  uttered  this  last 
summary  of  His  challenging  message.  Perhaps  he  had 
spoken  it  to  His  disciples  alone.  At  any  rate,  here  we 
have  in  seven  verses  the  spiritual  essence  of  all  that  He 
had  been  saying.  He  was  the  representative  and  revela- 
tion of  God.    The  attitude  of  men  toward  Him  was  their 


128  THE  CONFLICT  Ch.XII.  44-50 

attitude  toward  God.  His  witness  was  inward  and  spiritual. 
Those  who  had  light  in  them  discerned  Him  as  the  light 
and  entered  upon  a  life  of  Hght.  Whoever  rejected  Him 
bore  his  judgment  in  his  own  character,  and  at  the  last 
day  would  simply  continue  the  destiny  he  had  already  de- 
termined. Jesus'  word  had  been  no  arbitrary  word,  but 
simply  the  afifirmation  of  the  eternal  principle  of  life. 
What  He  had  shown  men  was  the  character  of  God,  the 
essential  truth  of  the  Universe.  He  had  created  no  new 
rights  and  wrongs.  His  commandments  were  not  statutes. 
He  had  laid  bare  the  springs  of  Hfe.  He  had  shown  men 
God.  How  they  received  Him  and  His  message  laid 
bare  their  own  essential  nature  and  revealed  their  kinship 
or  their  strangeness  to  God,  their  capacity  or  their  in- 
capacity for  life.  And  yet  there  was  no  exclusion.  The 
call  was  to  all,  and  whosoever  would,  could.  But  alas, 
they  would  not  now. 

"Late,  late,  so  late!    and  dark  the  night  and  chill!" 
"No  light,  so  late!    and  dark  and  chiU  the  night!" 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  our  belief  in  God  is  behef  in  God 
through  Jesus  Christ,  no  matter  how  much  we  seek  to 
ignore  Him?  If  Christ  had  not  been  God  would  men 
have  Christ's  God  to  believe  in? 

2.  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  the  darkness-areas  in  our  lives 
begin  only  where  the  Christ-areas  end,  and  that  the 
extension  of  the  Christ-areas  invariably  carries  Hght  with 
it?     Try  it  and  see. 

3.  Is  Christ's  conception  of  God  and  the  fact  that  Christ 
had  such  a  conception  reconcilable  with  the  idea  that 
Christ  misconceived  His  relation  to  God,  or  is  it  con- 
ceivable that  the  men  who  associated  with  Him  and 
who  were  possessed  with  loyalty  to  Him  and  His  conception 
and  to  whom  we  owe  all  our  knowledge  of  Him  and  of  His 
thought  of  God,  were  guilty  of  misrepresentation?  Could 
the  new  idea  of  God  which  Christianity  brought  to  the 
world  have  been  created  except  by  truth?  Could  the 
idea  of  Christ  as  divine  have  been  produced  except  by 
the  fact  of  His  deity? 


III.   THE  CONSUMMATION  OF   FAITH 
AND   UNBELIEF,    xiii-xx 

A,  The  Enthronement  of  Faith  through  the  Last  Min- 

istry OF  Love,  and  the  Self-revelation  of  Light 
AND  Life,    xiii-xvii. 

1.  The  last  ministry  of  love  and  jtidgment  among  His 

own.    xiii,  1-30. 

a.  The  unselfish  humihty  of  love,    xiii,  1-20. 

(i)  The  act.     xiii,  i-ii. 

(2)  Christ's  explanation  of  the  act.     xiii,  12-20. 
6.  The  separation  of  the  selfish  apostle  in  a  last 
judgment,    xiii,  21-20. 

2.  The  last  discourses,    xiii,  31-xvii. 

o.  The  discourses  in  the  Upper  Room.     xiii,3i-xiv, 

(i)  The  separation  and  its  necessity  and  its 
results.    Peter,     xiii,  31-38. 

(2)  Christ    and    the    Father.    Thomas    and 

Philip,    xiv,  I -II. 

(3)  Christ  and  the  disciples,    xiv,  12-21. 

(4)  The  law  and  the  progress  of  further  revela- 

tion.   Judas,    xiv,  22-31. 

b.  The  discourses  on  the  way.    xv,  xvi. 

(i)  The  living  union,    xv,  i-io. 

(2)  The  issues  of  union.    The  disciples  and 

Christ.    XV,  11-16. 

(3)  The  issues  of  union.    The  disciples  and 

the  world,     xv,  17-27. 

(4)  The  world  and  the  Advocate,     xvi,  i-ii. 
(s)  The  Advocate   and   the   disciples,     xvi, 

12-15. 

(6)  Sorrow  turned  to  joy.    xvi,  16-24. 

(7)  Defeat  and  victory,    xvi,  25-33. 

c.  The  high  priestly  prayer,     xvii. 

(i)  The  Son  and  the  Father,     xvii  1-5. 

(2)  The  Son  and  the  disciples,    xvii,  6-19. 

(3)  The  Son  and  the  Church,     xvii,  20-26. 

B,  The  Victory  and  Defeat  of  Unbelief,    xviii-xx. 

129 


"The  Fourth  Gospel  is  the  heart  of  Christ."— Ernesii. 

"The  most  wonderful  of  all  religious  books." — Biedermann. 

"If  the  heart  studies  the  Christ  as  portrayed  in  this  writing, 
it  will  need  no  other  proof  of  His  divinity." — Ellicott. 

"This  Gospel  speaks  a  language  to  which  no  parallel  whatever 
is  to  be  found  in  the  whole  compass  of  literature;  such  child- 
like simplicity,  with  such  contemplative  profundity;  such  life 
and  such  deep  rest;  such  sadness  and  such  severity;  and  above 
all,  such  a  breath  of  love." — Tholuck. 

"John's  Gospel  shows  us  how  deep  a  sense  Jesus  had  of  being 
a  stranger  on  the  earth." — Beyschlag. 


Ch.XIII.  i-ii    ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  131 


III.  THE   CONSUMMATION  OF   FAITH  AND 
UNBELIEF,  xiii-xx 

A.  The  Enthronement  of  Faith  through  the  Last 
Ministry  of  Love  and  the  Self-revelation  of 
Light  and  Life,    xiii-xvii. 

I.  The  last  Ministry  of  Love  and  Judgment  among  His 
own.     xiii,  1-30 

a.  The  unselfish  humiUty  of  love,     xiii,  1-20 

(i)  The  act.     xiii,  i-ii 

(^  1  Q  Now  before  the  feast  of  the  passover,  Jesus 
^-^  -*•"  knowing  that  his  hour  was  come  that  he  should 
depart  out  of  this  world  unto  the  Father,  having  loved  his 
own  that  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the  end. 
2  And  during  supper,  the  devil  having  already  put  into  the 
heart  of  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  to  betray  him,  3 
Jesus,  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all  things  into 
his  hands,  and  that  he  came  forth  from  God,  and  goeth 
unto  God,  4  riseth  from  supper,  and  layeth  aside  his  gar- 
ments; and  he  took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself.  5  Then 
he  poureth  water  into  the  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the 
disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  where- 
with he  was  girded.  6  So  he  cometh  to  Simon  Peter. 
He  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my  feet?  7  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him.  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not 
now;  but  thou  shalt  understand  hereafter.  8  Peter  saith 
unto  him,  Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet.  Jesus  an- 
swered him.  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me. 
9  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  not  my  feet  only,  but 
also  my  hands  and  my  head.  10  Jesus  saith  to  him.  He  that 
is  bathed  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean 
every  whit:  and  ye  are  clean,  but  not  all.  11  For  he  knew 
him  that  should  betray  him:  therefore  said  he.  Ye  are  not 
all  clean. 

We  see  here  in  w.  3-4  the  relation  of  belief  to  conduct. 
The  spring  of  Jesus'  actions  was  in  His  knowledge  of  His 
origin  and  destiny  and  His  relations  to  God.  What  any 
man  believes  on  these  three  points  is  the  most  significant 
and  determining  thing  about  him.  It  is  the  foundation 
and  fountain  of  life,  or  at  any  rate,  it  shows  how  con- 
scious he  is  of  the  only  foundation  and  fountain  of  his 


132  THE  CONSUMMATION     Ch.  XIII.  1 2-20 

life  in  God.  In  the  whole  scene  we  see  power  conscious 
of  itself  but  used  in  service,  and  we  learn  how  truly  un- 
selfishness is  a  sign  of  confidence  in  our  position.  The 
noble  dare  be  loving.  And  on  the  oth*er  hand,  there  is 
a|  self -revelation  in  haughtiness  and  pride.  They,  too, 
betray  our  origin  and  nature.  Jesus'  deed  revealed  the 
nobleness  of  Jesus.  Such  deeds,  he  tells  us,  will  help 
to  make  us  noble. 

"Would'st  thou  the  holy  hill  ascend 

And  see  the  Father's  face? 
To  all  His  children  lowly  bend 

And  seek  the  humblest  place. 

"Thus  humbly  doing  on  the  earth 
What  things  the  lofty  scorn, 
Thou  shalt  assert  the  noble  birth 
Of  all  the  lowly  born." 

On  the  other  hand,  conduct  may  be  a  source  of  de- 
terioration of  character.  The  best  sentiment  of  the  South 
feared  slavery  not  for  the  slave's  sake  but  for  the  master's. 
It  was  not  good  for  a  man  to  be  another  man's  master. 
Only  service  is  good  for  men.  Jesus  stooped  to  it  to  reveal 
its  nobleness. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  it,  as  we  are  often  told  to-day,  of  no  consequence 
what  men  think  or  believe,  that  it  only  matters  how  they 
act?  Can  their  acts  be  long  separated  from  their  prin- 
ciples? Jesus  knowing — rose  and  stooped  and  served. 
What  He  thought  shaped  what  He  did. 

2.  Is  there  any  other  explanation  more  reasonable  than 
John's  as  to  Judas'  conduct?    v.  2. 

3.  What  is  the  difference  between  a  principle  and  a 
a  method?  If  this  foot-washing  is  regarded  as  a  prin- 
ciple then  it  is  inapplicable  where  there  is  no  water.  If 
it  is  regarded  as  a  method  embodying  the  principle  of 
service,  then  it  is  of  universal  significance.  Wherever 
there  are  two  men  anywhere  in  the  world  it  is  of  authori- 
tative consequence. 

(2)  Christ's  explanation  of  the  act.    xiii,  12-20 

®i2  So  when  he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  taken 
his  garments,  and  sat  down  again,  he  said  unto  them, 


Ch.XIII.  I2-20  ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  133 

Know  ye  what  I  have  done  to  you?  13  Ye  call  me,  Teacher, 
and,  Lord:  and  ye  say  well;  for  so  I  am.  14  If  I  then,  the 
Lord  and  the  Teacher,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also 
ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet.  15  For  I  have  given 
you  an  example,  that  ye  also  should  do  as  I  have  done  to 
you.  16  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  A  servant  is  not 
greater  than  his  lord;  neither  one  that  is  sent  greater  than 
he  that  sent  him.  17  If  ye  know  these  things,  blessed 
are  ye  if  ye  do  them.  18  I  speak  not  of  you  all:  I  know 
whom  I  have  chosen:  but  that  the  scripture  may  be  ful- 
filled. He  that  eateth  my  bread  lifted  up  his  heel  against 
me.  19  From  henceforth  I  tell  you  before  it  come  to  pass 
that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  believe  that  I  am  kg. 
20  Verily,  verily,  I  say  imto  you.  He  that  receiveth  whom- 
soever I  send  receiveth  me;  and  he  that  receiveth  me 
receiveth  him  that  sent  me. 

The  possession  of  power  by  us  creates  a  presumption 
not  for  its  wilful  exercise,  but  for  its  restraint.  Jesus 
rose  and  stooped.  He  had  power  over  His  life  and  He 
laid  it  down.  Our  power  is  all  a  trust — a  responsibility 
to  be  used,  not  a  possession  to  be  asserted: 

"Naught  that  I  have  my  own  I  call, 
I  hold  it  for  the  Giver, 
My  heart,  my  strength,  my  life,  my  all 
Are  His  and  His  forever." 

The  principle  by  which  the  Giver  used  His  life  is  the 
principle  by  which  we,  to  whom  He  has  given  whatever 
we  have,  life  and  all,  must  use  our  lives.  He  gave  us  an 
example.  That  is,  what  He  did  embodied  the  principle 
on  which  we  are  to  act.  This  is  the  glory  of  life.  We 
can  thus  reflect  the  very  life  of  Christ.  Indeed,  it  is  His 
own  life  in  us,  repeating  itself.  We  do  not  seek  to  dupli- 
cate a  deed.  We  share  a  spirit;  we  live  by  a  common 
principle  with  Him.  He  is  the  spirit  in  us.  His  own 
life  embodies  the  principle  in  our  lives  and  utters  it  in 
our  actions.  This  is  the  wonder  of  the  new  life,  the 
union  of  the  disciple  and  his  Master  through  the  uni- 
versalization  of  that  Master's  life  by  death. 

Four  different  Greek  words  are  used  for  "example" 
in  the  New  Testament:  (i)  xiii,  15;  Heb.  iv,  11;  viii,  5; 
ix,  23;  II  Peter  ii,  6;  James  v,  10;  (2)  I  Peter  ii,  22;  (3) 
I  Cor.  X,  6,  11;  (4)  Jude,  7. 


134  THE  CONSUMMATION      Ch.  XIII.  21-30 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  Christian  ideal  of  service?  Was  it 
original?  What  has  it  produced?  Read  Brace,  "Gesta 
Christi." 

2.  Why  did  Jesus  wash  His  disciples'  feet?  Why  did 
they  not  wash  His?  Read  Chapter  vi  in  Marcus  Dods' 
second  volume  on  the  Gospel  of  John  in  the  Expositor's 
Bible. 

3.  "From  henceforth  I  tell  you  before  it  come  to  pass." 
How  many  more  such  things  did  He  tell  them  this  night?   . 

b.  The  separation  of  the  selfish  apostle  in  a  last  judgment, 
xiii,  21-30 

^  21  When  Jesus  had  thus  said,  he  was  troubled  in 
^-^  the  spirit,  and  testified,  and  said,  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  me.  22  The 
disciples  looked  one  on  another,  doubting  of  whom  he 
spake.  23  There  was  at  the  table  reclining  in  Jesus* 
bosom  one  of  his  disciples,  whom  Jesus  loved.  24 
Simon  Peter  therefore  beckoneth  to  him,  and  saith 
unto  him,  Tell  us  who  it  is  of  whom  he  speaketh.  25 
He  leaning  back,  as  he  was,  on  Jesus*  breast  saith  unto 
him.  Lord,  who  is  it?  26  Jesus  therefore  answereth, 
He  it  is,  for  whom  I  shall  dip  the  sop,  and  give  it  him.  So 
when  he  had  dipped  the  sop,  he  taketh  and  giveth  it  to 
Judas,  the  son  of  Simon  Iscariot.  27  And  after  the  sop 
then  entered  Satan  into  him.  Jesus  therefore  saith  unto 
him.  What  thou  doest,  do  quickly.  28  Now  no  man  at 
the  table  knew  for  what  intent  he  spake  this  imto  him.  29 
For  some  thought,  because  Judas  had  the  bag,  that  Jesus 
said  unto  him.  Buy  what  things  we  have  need  of  for  the 
feast;  or,  that  he  should  give  something  to  the  poor.  30 
He  then  having  received  the  sop  went  out  straightway; 
and  it  was  night. 

The  disciples  looked  one  at  another  doubting  of  whom 
Jesus  spoke  when  He  told  them  again  that  one  of  them 
would  betray  Him.  They  had  grown  into  far  better  and 
wiser  men  than  they  had  been  in  earlier  years  when  each 
of  them  would  have  proclaimed  ''It  is  not  I."  No,  they 
were  afraid  of  themselves  now.  Their  self-confidence 
had  broken  down.  There  were  re-assertions  of  it  this 
same  night,  but  nevertheless,  the  real  under-character 
of  the  men  had  matured.    When  a  man  distrusts  himself 


Ch.XIII.2i-30  ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  135 

he  begins  to  be  worthy  of  trust.  After  the  new  revelation 
of  what  a  man  should  be  which  Jesus  had  given  them 
they  were  not  so  sure  that  they  were  men.  They  were 
beginning  to  stoop.  That  was  the  first  step  to  exalta- 
tion. When  a  man  goes  down  to  Jesus  in  self-abasement 
and  surrender,  and  acknowledges  that  all  his  good  must 
come  from  Jesus  and  makes  no  prideful  boasts  but  leans 
on  Christ's  mercy  and  asks,  then  he  is  where  God  in 
Christ  can  uplift  and  remould  him.  But  with  Judas 
character  had  already  set  in  self-will  and  self-assertion. 
Jesus  could  do  nothing  with  him.  His  place  was  out  in 
the  night,  and  thither  into  the  dark  he  took  his  dark 
soul  which  had  rejected  the  light.  "It  was  night  and 
he  who  went  out  was  also  night." — Augustine. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  is  "your  theory  of  the  character  of  Judas  and 
of  the  motive  of  his  betrayal  of  Jesus?  Read  Chapter 
vii  in  Dods'  volume  referred  to  above.  Matt,  xxvi, 
14,  25,  47;  Luke  xxii,  3,  47,  48;  John  vi,  70,  71;  xii, 
4-6. 

2.  What  is  your  explanation  of  the  fact  that  Jesus 
made  Judas  one  of  His  apostles  when  He  knew  from  the 
beginning  that  he  would  betray  Him? 

3.  How  do  you  account  for  the  fact  that  the  apostles 
were  at  a  complete  loss  as  to  whom  Jesus  meant  and 
had  no  suspicion  of  Judas?  And  how  do  you  account 
for  the  question  which  shows  an  almost  inexplicable  un- 
sureness  about  themselves? 

4.  How  does  the  inability  of  Jesus  to  save  a  man  who 
had  lived  with  Him  for  three  years  warn  us? 

2.  The  Last  Discourses,    xiii,  31-xvii 

There  are  two  sets  of  discourses,  those  in  the  Upper 
Room,  xiii,  31-xiv,  31,  and  those  on  the  way,  xv-xvii.  The 
first  group  consists  largely  in  answers  to  questions  of  Peter, 
Thomas,  Philip,  Jude.  In  the  second,  all  are  silent  (Mark 
x,  32),  no  longer  daring  to  ask  what  they  wish  to  know, 
xvi,  17.  They  speak  only  "as  a  body  and  then  with  an 
imperfect  confession  of  grateful  faith,  xvi,  29  ff.  In  the 
first  group  the  thought  of  separation  and  of  union  in 


136  THE  CONSUMMATION      Ch.  XIII.  31-38 

separation  predominates.  In  the  second,  the  main  thought 
is  of  the  results  of  reahzed  union  and  of  conflict  carried 
on  to  victory." — Westcott.  Note  how  this  difference  in- 
fluences the  treatment  of  the  same  subject : 

The  New  Commandment,  xiii,  34;  xiv,  15,  21,  23  f; 
and  XV,  9  ff,  17. 

The  World,    xiv,  22  ff;  and  xv,  18  ff;  xvi,  i  ff. 

The  Comforter,    xiv,  16  ff,  25  f,  and  xv,  26;  xvi,  8  ff. 

Christ's  Coming,    xiv,  3,  18,  28,  and  xvi,  16,  22. 

a.  The;  discourses  in  the  Upper  Room,    xiii,  31-xiv,  31 

(i)  The  separation  and  its  necessity  and  its  results.    Peter. 

xiii,  31-38 
^  31  When  therefore  he  was  gone  out,*Jesus  saith,  Now 
^-^  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified  in  him; 
32  and  God  shall  glorify  him  in  himself,  and  straightway 
shall  he  glorify  him.  33  Little  children,  yet  a  little  while 
I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek  me:  as  and  I  said  unto  the 
Jews,  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come ;  so  now  I  say  unto  you. 
34  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one 
another;  even  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one 
another.  35  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my 
disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another. 

36  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  whither  goest 
thou?  Jesus  answered,  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not 
follow  me  now;  but  thou  shalt  follow  afterwards.  37  Peter 
saith  unto  him,  Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  thee  even  now? 
I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  thee.  38  Jesus  answereth, 
Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  me?  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  thee.  The  cock  shall  not  crow,  till  thou  hast  denied 
me  thrice. 

xiii>  3i~3S-  A  new  commandment!  Two  wonders. 
First  it  was  a  commandment!  He  had  not  spoken  in 
commandments  before.  Second,  something  new.  Only 
three  times  had  He  used  that  word:  Luke  v,  36-38; 
Matt,  xiii,  52;  xxvi,  28,  29.  A  new  commandment! 
To  love.  That  was  not  new.  It  had  been  in  the  old 
law:  Lev.  xix,  18;  Mark  xii,  30,  31.  Jesus  Himself 
had  declared  that  the  old  law  was  resolvable  into  the 
duty  of  love.  To  love  was  nothing  new.  But  this  was 
a  new  love,  such  a  love  as  had  no  adequate  basis  in  what 
men  had  known  and  thought  before — a  love  not  "as  one's 
self"  but  "better  than  one's  self."    "That  ye  love  even 


Ch.  XIII.  31-38  ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  137 

as  I  have  loved  you."  Oh,  that  was  new.  There  had 
never  been  love  like  that  before.  "Scarcely  for  a  righteous 
man  would  one  die,  yet  peradventure  for  a  good  man, 
some  would  even  dare  to  die,  but  God  commendeth  His 
love  toward  us  in  that  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ 
died  for  us."  This  love  was  unselfish,  it  was  ever  de- 
scending, it  was  independent  of  response,  it  was  all  of 
grace,  it  was  eternal.  And  such  love  Jesus  said  was  to 
prevail  among  His  disciples.  It  was  to  be  the  essence, 
the  test,  and  the  power  of  Christianity.  It  has  been. 
As  far  as  Christianity  has  prevailed,  it  has  prevailed 
by  love.  By  love  it  will  subdue  the  world  after  it  has 
subdued  us.    Do  we  thus  love? 

xiii,  36-38.  Simon  Peter  is  like  all  of  us.  He  would 
rather  talk  about  future  destiny  than  about  present  duty. 
His  question  is  not,  "What  shall  I  now  do?"  but  "Where 
art  Thou  going?"  Jesus,  with  His  absolute  candor,  drove 
the  necessary  truth  home  into  Peter's  soul.  Future  des- 
tiny was  a  great  thing,  but  what  Peter  needed  to  face 
was  present  denial.  And  sure  enough,  that  very  night 
the  man  who  was  so  interested  in  the  future,  fell  like 
a  coward  and  a  traitor.  The  Lord  was  very  gentle  about 
it.  He  told  Peter  he  should  follow  Him  sometime  at 
the  same  time  that  He  told  him  that  he  was  going  to 
cease  following  Him  now.  The  Saviour's  ways  with  souls 
are  as  wonderful  and  tender  now  as  they  were  then,  but 
we  too  would  be  saved  great  sorrows  if  we  were  more 
intent  on  present  fidelity  than  upon  future  felicity. 
"Mother,"  said  a  small  boy,  to  whom  his  mother  was 
speaking  recently  of  duty,  "let  us  talk  about  something 
more  interesting."  That  is  the  way  with  all  of  us.  But 
what  interests  Christ  most  is  to  see  us  now  and  here 
acting  in  the  spirit  of  the  heavenly  kingdom. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

I.  What  do  the  words  "glory"  and  "glorify"  mean? 
Substitute  for  them  the  words  "character"  for  "glory" 
and  "reveal  character"  or  "perfect  character"  or  "re- 
store character"  for  ''glorify"  in  various  passages  and 
see  what  a  new  and  true  meaning  is  found.  II  Cor.  iii, 
18;   John  xvii,  i,  5;  Eph.  i,  6. 


138  THE  CONSUMMATION        Ch.XIV.  i-ii 

2.  Are  we  ready  to  put  first  what  Christ  put  first  and 
to  trust  that  love  is  a  better  guardian  of  sound  doctrine 
than  sound  doctrine  would  be  of  love?  Note  it  is  not  a 
question  between  truth  and  love.  Christ  Himself  was 
both  of  these  to  His  disciples.  It  is  just  a  question  as 
to  where  the  first,  not  the  only,  obligation  is  to  be  laid — 
on  brotherly  love  or  on  common  worship,  organization 
and  relationship,  or  doctrinal  statement.  The  alternatives 
are  not  exclusive.  Far  from  it.  But  the  first  emphasis 
must  be  somewhere,  and  Christ  laid  it  on  love. 

3.  Do  we  really  know  ourselves,  or  does  any  man, 
a  whit  better  than  Simon  Peter  knew  himself? 

(2)  Christ  and  the  Father.    Thomas  and  PhiHp.   xiv,  i-i  i 

®1  /i  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled:  believe  in 
^^  God,  believe  also  in  me.  2  In  my  Father's 
house  are  many  mansions;  it  if  were  not  so,  I  would  have 
told  you;  for  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  3  And  if  I 
go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  come  again,  and  will  re- 
ceive you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may 
be  also.  4  And  whither  I  go,  ye  know  the  way.  5  Thomas 
saith  unto  him.  Lord,  we  know  not  whither  thou  goest; 
how  know  we  the  way?  6  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  am  the 
way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life:  no  one  cometh  unto  the 
Father,  but  by  me.  7  If  ye  had  known  me,  ye  would  have 
known  my  Father  also:  from  henceforth  ye  know  him, 
and  have  seen  him.  8  Philip  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  show 
us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us.  9  Jesus  saith  unto 
him.  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and  dost  thou  not 
know  me,  Philip?  he  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the 
Father;  how  sayest  thou.  Show  us  the  Father?  10  Be- 
lievest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  me?  the  words  that  I  say  unto  you  I  speak  not  from 
myself:  but  the  Father  abiding  in  me  doeth  his  works. 
II  Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  me:  or  else  believe  me  for  the  very  works'  sake. 

xiv,  1-3.  Jesus'  words  to  Peter  seem  to  have  created 
consternation  among  the  disciples.  Already  many  things 
had  occurred  to  excite  and  disturb  them.  One  of  their 
number  had  gone  out  after  some  mysterious  words  of 
Christ's  which  foreboded  trouble.  And  now  the  leading 
spirit  among  them  was  warned  that  he  was  about  to  do 
what  he  had  vehemently  declared  he  could  not  do.     Above 


Ch.XIV.  i-ii  ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  139 

all,  Jesus  was  about  to  leave  them.  The  very  founda- 
tions seemed  to  be  crumbling.  "Be  still,"  said  Jesus. 
"You  can't  trust  one  another.  You  can't  trust  yourselves, 
but  you  trust  God.  Trust  me."  With  some  men  it 
works  the  other  way.  They  come  to  a  faith  in  God 
through  Christ,  but  it  is  legitimate  also,  and  for  many 
it  is  natural,  to  come  to  Christ  through  God.  "It  is  true 
that  we  are  parting,  but  I  am  going  to  my  Father's  house 
and  will  prepare  a  place  for  you  and  come  back  again  for 
you,  that  we  may  be  together."  This  promise  is  too 
great  to  be  comprehended  in  any  of  our  small  interpre- 
tations of  it.  The  fall  of  Jerusalem,  the  death  of  the 
apostles,  the  establishment  of  Christ's  spiritual  kingdom 
among  men  do  not  exhaust  it.  It  has  meanings  on  which  we 
have  a  right  to  pillow  our  hearts,  and  it  promises  a  glory  yet 
to  be  revealed  for  which  we  do  right  to  work  and  pray. 

xiv,  4-7.  He  was  proceeding  to  tell  them  more.  If 
only  He  had  not  been  interrupted  but  had  been  allowed  to 
go  on  and  speak  about  that  home  of  many  mansions 
of  His  Father!  "Whither  I  go  ye  know  the  way,"  He 
said  when  Thomas  broke  in.  "No,  we  do  not,"  he  replied. 
It  was  Uke  him,  "  He  would  die  for  a  faith  which  he  had, 
John  xi,  16,  but  he  would  not  profess  a  faith  which  he 
had  not."  He  did  not  know  where  Jesus  was  going.  How 
could  he  know  the  way?  That  is  our  human  difficulty. 
We  don't  see  the  end  of  the  way,  therefore  we  don't  know 
the  way.  But  God's  plan  is  to  lead  us  step  by  step,  not 
to  flash  light  ahead  clear  to  the  end  of  the  way.  Jesus' 
answer  leads  His  disciples  back  to  the  abiding  personal 
realities.  The  way  which  Jesus  goes  is  Jesus.  The 
Christian  way  is  not  a  method.  It  is  a  Person.  Chris- 
tianity is  all  a  personal  life.  Where  was  Jesus  going? 
He  was  going  to  God.  What  was  the  way  there?  Jesus 
was.  He  went  to  God  by  manifesting  Himself,  by  being 
Himself,  God's  own  son,  the  one  perfectly  filial  one.  Jesus 
went  back  to  God  and  opened  the  living  way  to  God 
for  all  men  who  could  come  to  a  perfectly  filial  will  in 
Him.  He  was  this  way  and  the  goal  to  which  it  led. 
Whoever  knew  Him,  knew  all,  for  all  was  in  Him. 

xiv,  8-1 1.  This  request  of  Philip's  is  the  third  inter- 
ruption of  the  evening.  Jesus'  words  on  His  new  com- 
mandment,   regarding   which   we   wish   He   might   have 


140  THE  CONSUMMATION        Ch.XIV.  i-ii 

said  so  much  more,  were  broken  in  upon  by  Peter.  Then 
Thomas  interrupted,  and  now  Philip.  And  where  had 
PhiHp's  wits  been?  The  Father  had  been  revealed  in 
Christ.  This  was  what  Jesus  had  just  said.  "Shew  us 
the  Father,"  said  Phihp.  Jesus  was  no  more  impatient 
than  at  other  interruptions.  "Mrs.  Wesley,"  asked  a 
visitor  once  when  the  boy  John  Wesley  had  come  in  and 
asked  his  mother  a  question  for  the  seventh  time,  "Why 
did  you  answer  that  boy  the  same  question  seven  times?" 
"Because,"  said  Mrs.  Wesley,  "six  times  were  not  enough." 
It  was  so  with  Jesus.  Again  He  repeats  that  He  was 
the  revelation  of  the  Father.  And  indeed  He  has  been. 
What  we  know  about  the  character  of  God  we  owe  to 
Jesus.  Whoso  rejecteth  Christ  rejecteth  God,  and  whoso 
loveth  Christ  God  will  love. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Are  not  many  processes  of  approach  legitimate  and 
inevitable,  that  men  should  find  God  through  Christ, 
that  men  should  find  Christ  through  God,  or  truth  through 
duty,  or  duty  through  truth? 

2.  What  better  could  language  do  than  Jesus  has  done 
in  describing  heaven?  All  our  language  is  metaphor 
and  all  of  our  metaphors  are  of  the  earth.  How  can 
they  define  heaven?  If  they  can  even  suggest  it,  it  can 
be  only  through  some  transcending  leap  of  the  spiritual 
imagination. 

3.  What  in  thought  and  in  historic  fact  is  the  relation 
of  Jesus  to  the  Fatherhood  of  God? 

4.  With  the  development  of  unbelief  which  has  gone 
before,  contrast  now  the  unfolding  of  faith  in  the  atmos- 
phere of  sympathy  and  love.  And  yet  note  the  struggle 
of  men's  minds  even  here  to  grasp  what  belonged  to  a 
new  order  which  must  find  a  home  in  the  old  without 
being  fatally  absorbed  by  it,*  which  must  mingle  with 
the  earthly  order  to  save  it,  but  which  could  only  save 
it  by  not  becoming  it.  It  is  the  whole  mystery  and  para- 
dox of  the  Incarnation.  God  must  become  man  to  save 
man,  but  God,  become  man,  could  only  save  man  by  still 
being  not  man  but  God.  But  to  put  all  this  in  words, 
how  can  it  be  done  except  to  faith? 


Ch.  XIV.  12-21   ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  141 


(3)  Christ  and  the  disciples,    xiv,  12-21 

(1b6)  12  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  believeth  on 
^^  me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also ;  and  greater 
works  than  these  shall  he  do ;  because  I  go  unto  the  Father. 
13  And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that  will  I 
do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son.  14  If 
ye  shall  ask  anything  in  my  name,  that  will  I  do.  15  If 
ye  love  me,  ye  will  keep  my  commandments.  16  And  I 
will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Com- 
forter, that  he  may  be  with  you  for  ever,  17  even  the  Spirit 
of  truth:  whom  the  world  cannot  receive;  for  it  beholdeth 
him  not,  neither  knoweth  him:  ye  know  him;  for  he  abid- 
eth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you.  18  I  will  not  leave 
you  desolate:  I  come  unto  you.  19  Yet  a  little  while, 
and  the  world  beholdeth  me  no  more;  but  ye  behold  me: 
because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also.  20  In  that  day  ye  shall 
know  that  I  am  in  my  Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you. 
21  He  that  hath  my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them, 
he  it  is  that  loveth  me :  and  he  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved 
of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  my- 
self unto  him. 

1.  Christ's  departure  will  enable  the  disciples  through 
His  power  and  intercession  and  for  the  glorifying  of  the 
Father  to  do  greater  works  than  His  own.  About  no 
word  of  Christ's  has  the  Church  shown  itself  more  skep- 
tical. If  it  believed  this  it  would  upheave  the  world 
in  ten  years.  But  the  work  and  the  prayer  are  to  be  in 
the  name  of  Christ.  Here  for  the  first  time  Jesus  says, 
"in  My  Name."  He  had  spoken  or  would  speak  of 
the  Name  of  the  Father,  v,  43;  x,  25;  xvii,  6,  11,  12,  26. 
John  had  spoken  of  Christ's  Name,  i,  12;  ii,  23;  iii,  18. 
To  pray  in  Christ's  name  is  to  pray  as  being  one  with 
Christ  as  He  was  revealed  to  men.  Such  prayer  in  Christ's 
name  to  the  Father  will  avail.  Power  from  the  Father 
through  Christ  will  be  given  for  mighty  works. 

2.  The  Son  will  send  forth  from  the  Father  the^abid- 
ing  Spirit  and  to  the  man  who  will  enter  into  all  this  Jesus 
will  ever  manifest  Himself.  How  could  a  mere  man  say 
these  things?  How  can  anyone  believe  that  Jesus  spoke 
these  words  and  was  only  a  man? 

3.  Christ  promises  to  come  Himself  and  to  make  Him- 
self yet  clearer  to  His  disciples,   w.    18-21.    What   do 


142  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XIV.  22-31 

we  need  that  is  not  here  promised?  What  are  the  unsat- 
isfied world  and  its  teachers  groping  for  that  is  not  here 
already  provided? 

Questio7is  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Do  we  believe  these  assurances  of  Christ?  If  so, 
how  can  we  justify  our  failure  to  make  use  of  them?  Are 
our  dilutions  of  their  plain  meaning  honest?  Have  we 
ever  fairly  analyzed  our  own  thought  and  conduct  toward 
these  assurances? 

2.  Is  it  right  to  pray  to  Christ? 

3.  What  is  the  relationship  of  character  to  prayer? 
What  a  flood  of  searching  Hght  Christ's  words  about  the 
power  of  prayer  in  His  name,  i.e.,  in  identity  with  His 
character,  throw  on  this  question! 

(4)  The  law  and  the  progress  of  further  revelation.    Judas. 
xiv,  22-31 

®22  Judas  (not  Iscariot)  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  what  is 
come  to  pass  that  thou  wilt  manifest  thyself  unto  us, 
and  not  unto  the  world?  23  Jesus  answered  and  said  imto 
him,  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  word:  and  my 
Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make 
our  abode  with  him.  24  He  that  loveth  me  not  keepeth 
not  my  words:  and  the  word  which  ye  hear  is  not  mine,  but 
the  Father*s  who  sent  me. 

25  These  things  have  I  spoken  imto  you,  while  yet 
abiding  with  you.  26  But  the  Comforter,  even  the  Holy 
Spirit,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall 
teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  to  your  remembrance  all 
that  I  said  unto  you.  27  Peace  I  leave  with  you;  my  peace 
I  give  unto  you:  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you. 
Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  fearful. 
28  Ye  heard  how  I  said  to  you,  I  go  away,  and  I  come  unto 
you.  If  ye  loved  me,  ye  would  have  rejoiced,  because 
I  go  unto  the  Father:  for  the  Father  is  greater  than  I.  29 
And  now  I  have  told  you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that,  when 
it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  believe.  30  I  will  no  more 
speak  much  witii  you,  for  the  prince  of  the  world  cometh: 
and  he  hath  nothing  in  me;  31  but  that  the  world  may  know 
that  I  love  the  Father,  and  as  the  Father  gave  me  com- 
mandment, even  so  I  do.     Arise,  let  us  go  hence. 

Another  interruption,  the  fourth.  Judas's  difficulty 
has  perplexed  us  all.    It  is  the  same  problem  which  John 


Ch.  XIV.  22-31  ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  143 

considered  in  xii,  37-43.  Jesus'  answer  is  the  same 
as  John's.  It  is  a  matter  of  the  willingness  of  men  to 
love  the  highest.  The  love  of  God  is  freely  offered.  Some 
men  respond  to  it.  It  becomes  a  reality  and  a  power  to 
them.  A  way  is  opened  for  God  into  their  Hves,  into  their 
conscious  experience.  Do  we  love  Christ?  Is  He  dear 
to  us?  Can  we  truthfully  sing,  "My  Jesus,  I  love  Thee"? 
Love  is  the  will  to  serve.  It  is  the  joy  in  the  presence 
of  the  loved  one.  It  is  the  eager  acknowledgment  of  the 
full  character  of  the  loved  one.  It  is  intensely  personal. 
We  make  as  much,  not  as  little  as  we  can,  of  those  we 
love.  Love  forbids  our  going  beyond  the  truth,  but 
love  sees  truth  which  is  denied  by  lack  of  love.  If  any 
man  love  Christ  he  will  keep  Christ's  word,  that  is,  he  will 
discover  Christ's  secret,  he  will  sympathize  with  His 
spirit,  he  will  enter  into  the  love  of  His  life,  he  will  come 
to  God  in  Him. 
"Not  as  the  world  giveth."    How  does  the  world  give? 

"I  have  had  my  will. 

Tasted  every  pleasure, 
I  have  drunk  my  fill 

Of  the  purple  measure. 
Life  has  lost  its  zest, 
Sorrow  is  my  guest, 

O  the  lees  are  bitter,  bitter, 
Give  me  rest. 

"Love  once  filled  the  bowl, 
Running  o'er  with  blisses, 
Made  my  very  soul 

Drunk  with  crimson  kisses. 
But  I  drank  it  dry, 
Love  has  passed  me  by, 

O  the  lees  are  bitter,  bitter. 
Let  me  die." 

—George  Arnold.^ 

This  is  the  world's  way.  "Not  as  the  world  giveth," 
says  Christ.  But  peace  like  a  river  growing  ever  fuller, 
light  like  the  sun,  brightening  to  the  fulness  of  day,  joy 
that  adds  no  sorrow,  Christ  Himself,  His  own  best  gift, 
absent  in  body  to  be  ever  present  in  spirit,  the  fulness 
of  life — all  these  He  brought  and  left  from  His  Father, 
and  all  these  are  ours,  if  we  will  have  them. 


144  THE  CONSUMMATION         Ch.XV.  i-io 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  does  it  mean  to  keep  Christ's  word?  And 
what  is  the  difference  between  His  "words"  and  His 
"word"?    Observe  that  they  are  different  terms  in  Greek. 

2.  Are  we  using  the  Holy  Spirit  sufficiently  as  the 
reminder  and  recollector  of  the  words  of  Christ? 

3.  Who  is  "the  Prince  of  the  world"?  Why  should 
he  have  anything  in  Christ? 

4.  What  do  the  terms  "Advocate"  and  "Comforter" 
mean  as  applied  to  the  Holy  Spirit? 

5.  Review  in  memory  the  entire  conversation  of  this 
last  evening  with  the  disciples.  Did  they  immediately 
after  this  chapter  leave  the  room? 

b.  The  discourses  on  the  way.    xv-xvi 
(i)  The  living  union,    xv,  i-io 

/g^  1  K  I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  hus- 
^-^  -"-^  bandman.  2  Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth 
not  fruit,  he  taketh  it  away:  and  every  branch  that  bear- 
eth fruit,  he  cleanseth  it,  that  it  may  bear  more  fruit.  3 
Already  ye  are  clean  because  of  the  word  which  I  have 
spoken  unto  you.  4  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch 
cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine;  so 
neither  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me.  5  I  am  the  vine, 
ye  are  the  branches:  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him, 
the  same  beareth  much  fruit:  for  apart  from  me  ye  can  do 
nothing.  6  If  a  man  abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as 
a  branch,  and  is  withered;  and  they  gather  them,  and 
cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  are  burned.  7  If  ye 
a^ide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ask  whatsoever 
ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you.  8  Herein  is  my 
Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit;  and  so  shaU 
ye  be  my  disciples.  9  Even  as  the  Father  hath  loved 
me,  I  also  have  loved  you:  abide  ye  in  my  love.  10  If  ye 
keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love;  even 
as  I  have  kept  my  Father's  commandments  and  abide  in 
his  love. 

Note  (i)  the  figure,  w.  1,  2;  (2)  the  apphcation  of  the 
figure  to  the  disciples,  w.j  3,  4;  (3)  the  consequences  of 
union  and  separation,  w.  5,  6;  (4)  the  blessings  of  union, 
m;.  7,  8;  in  prayer  and  in  faithfulness;  (5)  the  great  example 
of  union,  the  Son  and  the  Father,  w.  9,  10. 


Ch.XV.i-io    ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  145 

Life,  fruitfulness,  and  success  in  prayer  all  depend 
upon  our  relationship  to  Christ.  If  we  abide  in  Him 
we  shall  not  wither  or  die;  we  shall  bear  fruit  and  we 
shall  be  able  to  pray.  These  are  the  evidences,  also,  as 
well  as  the  results  of  abiding.  If  we  pray,  bear  fruit, 
and  live,  we  show  that  we  are  abiding.  The  consciousness 
of  abiding  is  less  important  than  the  evidences  of  it.  For 
there  are  those  who  say,  as  Jesus  indicated,  that  they 
are  abiding  who  offer  none  of  the  necessary  evidence. 
But  there  are  some  who  carry  this  distinction  too  far, 
who  say  that  the  consciousness  of  our  relationship  to 
Christ  is  unnecessary,  that  men  may  even  deny  the  his- 
torical Christ,  and  the  possibility  of  present  union  with 
Him  in  a  mystical  life,  and  yet  have  the  essential  Christ. 
They  may  be  branches  of  a  vine  which  they  deny.  Can 
that  be  possible?  Well,  we  cannot  prescribe  exhaust- 
ively the  nature  of  the  divine  life  in  the  world  and  of 
the  divine  purpose  for  man,  but  we  ourselves  certainly 
cannot  trifle  with  the  words  of  Jesus.  He  is  the  vine. 
Are  we  branches  in  Him?  Are  we  branches  in  the  Per- 
son Who  spoke  those  words?  That  is  our  question.  It 
is  not  enough  to  repudiate  this  Person,  but  express  our 
sympathy  with  goodness.  Such  expression  and  such 
repudiation  do  not  carry  the  soul  deep  enough  into  reality. 

"My  love" — so  also  "My  joy,"  xv,  ii;  xvi.  20;  xvii, 
13;  "My  judgment,"  v,  30;  viii,  16;  "My  command- 
ments," xiv,  15;    "My  peace,"  xiv,  27. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  suggested  the  imagery  of  the  vine?  Was  it 
the  sight  of  a  vine  in  the  garden  as  they  left  the  house, 
or  was  it  the  sight  and  smell  in  the  night  of  the  fires  of 
the  vine  dressers  in  which  they  were  burning  just  at  this 
season  the  prunings  of  the  branches,  or  was  it  the  glowing 
lustre  of  the  great  golden  vine  over  the  gate  of  the  temple 
in  the  light  of  the  Paschal  moon? 

2.  Is  it  true  that  there  is  absolutely  no  life  in  the  world 
apart  from  Christ?  If  that  is  true  then  is  it  true  also 
that  wherever  in  the  world  there  is  any  truth  or  life  at  all, 
no  matter  what  it  calls  itself,  that  truth  or  life  is  really 
Christ? 


146  THE  CONSUMMATION        Ch.XV.  11-16 

3.  Here  is -a  second  test  of  discipleship,  v.  8 — fruitfulness. 
Fniitfulness  and  love.  How  is  it  that  men  are  so  eager 
to  substitute  other  tests  for  these?    Are  these  too  exacting? 

(2)  The  issues  of  union.   The  disciples  and  Christ,  xv,  1 1-16 

(68)  II  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my 
^-^  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  may  be  made 
full.  12  This  is  my  commandment,  that  ye  love  one  another, 
even  as  I  have  loved  you.  13  Greater  love  hath  no  man 
than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends.  14 
Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  the  things  which  I  command 
you.  15  No  longer  do  I  call  you  servants;  for  the  servant 
knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth:  but  I  have  called  you 
friends;  for  all  tilings  that  I  heard  from  my  Father  I  have 
made  known  unto  you.  16  Ye  did  not  choose  me,  but  I 
chose  you,  and  appointed  you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bear 
fruit,  and  that  youi  fruit  should  abide:  that  whatsoever 
ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  may  give  it  you. 

Abiding  in  Christ  is  abiding  in  the  love  of  Christ. 
Abiding  in  the  love  of  Christ  is  abiding  in  the  obedience 
of  Christ.  Duty,  in  other  words,  is  the  equivalent  of 
discipleship.  Duty  conceived  as  the  will  of  God  and 
the  command  of  Christ  and  faithfully  fulfilled,  evidences 
the  inner  union  of  the  soul  with  Christ,  as  of  the  branch 
with  the  vine.  This  is  a  great  comfort  to  many  hearts. 
They  torture  themselves  as  to  whether  they  love  Christ 
as  they  should  and  are  acting  from  pure  love.  It  is  a 
joy  to  know  that  Jesus  resolved  all  the  mystery  into  duty 
doing,  and  desired  nothing  more  of  us  than  that  we  should 
''trust  and  obey."  And  the  great  duty  which  He  pressed 
on  His  disciples  was  itself  the  duty  of  unselfish  brotherly- 
love,  the  recognition  of  the  trust  of  life.  We  fall  into 
the  error  of  regarding  our  hves  as  our  own,  as  gifts  of 
God  to  us,  as  possessions  to  be  asserted.  But  life  is  not 
an  ethical  end.  It  is  a  means,  a  sphere,  an  agency,  an 
opportunity.  It  is  to  be  kept  or  laid  down,  to  be  used 
this  way  or  that,  as  may  be  best  for  our  brothers.  This 
is  the  love  the  Lord  desires.  Such  lovers  are  his  branches. 
Others  are  not  obeying.  Therefore  they  are  not  loving. 
Therefore  they  are  not  abiding. 

The  simplest  and  freest  things  are  the  most  difficult. 
Naaman,   the  Syrian  leper,   found  it  so,   and  he  nearly 


Ch.XV.  ii-i6    ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  147 

missed  the  cleansing  which  the  man  of  God  offered  to 
him  through  a  simple  immersion  in  the  Jordan,  because 
he  had  expected  some  elaborate  and  complicated  pre- 
scription. Men  always  find  it  so.  It  is  because  life 
in  Christ  is  free,  costing  nothing  save  the  willingness  to 
accept  it,  that  men  pass  it  by.  If  it  were  a  thing  to  be 
worked  for,  they  would  work  for  it,  and  indeed  men  are 
always  turning  it  into  a  thing  to  be  worked  for.  They 
set  up  performances  and  institutions  about  it  and  pro- 
vide channels  and  guardians  for  it.  But  all  the  while  it 
will  come  on  its  own  terms  alone.  It  is  the  spirit  of  a 
filial  life.  Jesus  does  not  want  anything  mechanical  or 
external  to  cover  it  over.  His  disciples  are  not  His  ser- 
vants; they  are  His  friends.  And  for  the  reason  that 
they  are  one  with  Him,  He  has  given  them  the  nature 
of  His  Father.  They,  too,  are  His  sons,  and  all  that 
they  have  to  do  is  to  act  as  His  sons.  The  Church  is 
not  to  be  like  a  factory  or  mine  where  there  are  over- 
seers and  superintendents  taking  orders  and  giving  orders. 
It  is  a  family  where  all  do  the  right  things  because  all 
act  from  love  and  in  the  spirit  of  a  true  family  union. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "joy"?  Is  Christ's 
"joy"  more  or  less  than  this? 

2.  What  are  the  relations  of  love  and  duty?  Does 
either  one  come  before  the  other?  Is  either  one  worthier 
than  the  other?  Is  it  not  true  that  wherever  one  is  there, 
whether  we  know  it  or  not,  the  other  is  also? 

"  '  Law  is  the  religion  of  the  Old  Testament,  Love  is  the 
religion  of  the  New.'  That  is  a  popular  idea,  among 
Christians,  as  to  the  Bible  and  its  teachings.  The  idea 
is  proclaimed  in  this  form  of  statement  in  pulpit  and 
in  press  so  frequently,  if  not  so  generally,  that  very  many 
accept  it  as  not  to  be  questioned  or  qualified-  Yet  it 
might,  with  equal  fairness  and  propriety,  be  asserted 
that  "Love  is  the  religion  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  Law 
is  the  religion  of  the  New.'  Both  statements  are  true 
in  a  sense:  neither  statement  is  complete  by  itself,  or  as 
ordinarily  understood.  In  God's  government,  and  in 
God's  revelation  of  Himself,  love  is  in  all  His  law,  and 


148  THE  CONSUMMATION  Ch.  XV.  17-27 

all  His  law  is  love.  Whoever  fails  to  recognize  this  truth, 
fails  to  understand  the  Bible  as  a  revelation  of  God,  in 
both  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New." — H.  Clay  Trumbull. 
3.  Is  not  such  a  doctrine  of  election  as  Jesus  set  forth  in 
V.  16,  not  only  obviously  true,  but  also  the  greatest  comfort 
to  the  soul  and  the  greatest  guarantee  of  personal  liberty? 

(3)  The  issues  of  union.    The  disciples  and  the  world. 
XV,  17-27  . 

gg)  17  These  things  I  command  you,  that  ye  may  love 
^^  one  another.  18  If  the  world  hateth  you,  ye  know  that 
it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you.  19  If  ye  were  of  the  world, 
the  world  would  love  its  own:  but  because  ye  are  not  of  the 
world,  but  I  chose  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the  world 
hateth  you.  20  Remember  the  word  that  I  said  unto  you, 
A  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord.  If  they  persecuted 
me,  they  will  also  persecute  you;  if  they  kept  my  word, 
they  will  keep  yoiu-s  also.  21  But  all  these  things  will 
they  do  imto  you  for  my  name's  sake,  because  they  know 
not  him  that  sent  me.  22  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken 
unto  them,  they  had  not  had  sin:  but  now  they  have  no 
excuse  for  their  sin.  23  He  that  hateth  me  hateth  my 
Father  also.  24  If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works 
which  none  other  did,  they  had  not  had  sin:  but  now  have 
they  both  seen  and  hated  both  me  and  my  Father.  25 
But  this  Cometh  to  pass^  that  the  word  may  be  fulfilled 
that  is  written  in  their  law.  They  hated  me  without  a  cause. 

26  But  when  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom  I  will  send 
unto  you  from  the  Father,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  which 
proceedeth  from  the  Father,  he  shall  bear  witness  of  me: 

27  and  ye  also  bear  witness,  because  ye  have  been  with 
me  from  the  beginning. 

XV,  17-25.  The  true  notes  of  the  Church  are  love 
and  union.  The  notes  of  the  world  are  selfishness  and 
discord.  Christ's  friends  love  one  another  and  Him  and 
the  good  of  each  is  the  care  of  all,  and  the  good  of  all 
is  the  care  of  each.  But  the  world  has  no  faith  in  unsel- 
fishness. It  knows  its  own  heart  so  well  that  it  does 
not  believe  in  the  reality  of  that  of  which  it  is  itself  in- 
capable. This  kind  of  a  world  we  do  not  often  see  because 
in.  the  world  about  us  the  Spirit  of  Christ  has  wrought 
a  great  transformation,  so  that  many  things  are  found 
where  Christ  would  fain  find  more  but  where  He  finds  as 
much  because  of  His  own  potent  and  Hving  influence. 


Ch.  XV.  17-27    ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  149 

But  in  the  world  then  and  now  the  defects  that  the 
Saviour  found  and  finds  were  and  are,  just  as  much  as 
the  virtues,  the  revelation  of  the  Saviour's  presence.  It 
is  He  who  exposes  them;  without  Him  they  are  unnoticed. 
They  only  begin  to  appear  when  He  appears  and  uncovers 
them.  It  is  He  in  society  to-day  who  is  showing  forth 
injustice,  impurity,  unholiness,  who  is  laying  men  naked 
to  themselves.  Therefore  the  sons  of  God  rejoice  in 
Him  and  come  to  Him  to  be  enlightened  and  perfected,  and 
the  children  of  the  world  hate  Him  without  any  cause 
save  their  unwillingness  to  hate  the  hate  that  hates  Him. 

XV,  26,  27.  The  great  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to 
bear  witness  to  Christ.  He  did  not  come  to  speak  of 
Himself;  He  came  to  speak  of  Jesus.  A  good  deal  of 
our  confusion  as  to  the  character  and  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  would  be  avoided  if  we  would  remember  this.  And 
the  business  of  the  disciples  was  to  be  the  same  as  the 
business  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  They  were  to  bear  witness 
to  Christ.  Through  them  men  were  to  learn  of  Him. 
How  else  can  He  be  shown?  And  they  were  qualified 
because  they  had  been  with  Him.  The  more  intimate 
our  acquaintance  with  men  the  clearer  our  perception 
of  their  imperfections  and  shortcomings.  But  associa- 
tion with  Jesus  had  revealed  nothing  but  beauty  and 
glory.  There  was  nothing  that  they  had  seen  that  they 
could  not  report.  That  which  was  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  the  Apostles  is  the  work  of  each  Christian, 
to  bear  witness  to  the  Saviour.  Each  of  us  is  to  reveal 
Him  to  our  brother.  Each  of  us  is  to  learn  of  Him  from 
our  brother. 

"  Not  in  mine  own  but  in  my  neighbor's  face, 
Must  I  Thine  image  trace; 
Not  he  in  his  but  in  the  light  of  mine, 
Behold  Thy  Face  Divine." 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  were  the  things  that  Jesus  had  commanded 
in  order  that  the  disciples  might  love  one  another? 

2.  Was  this  contradiction  of  the  world  to  be  an  experi- 
ence only  of  the  first  generation  of  Christians?  Are  we  ex- 
periencing any  such  contradiction?  If  not,  is  it  the  world  or 
Christian  discipleship  which  has  changed  its  character? 


HiO  THE  CONSUMMATION         Ch.XVI.i-ii 

3.  It  is  really  true  that  because  of  Christ  there  is  sin 
which  otherwise  would  not  have  been?  v.  24.  Indeed 
it  is.  And  every  man  who  preaches  and  practices  Christ 
produces  the  same  situation  in  his  measure.  Paul  did  it, 
II  Cor.  ii,  15,  16.  There  is  sin  in  New  York  City  to-day 
which  would  not  have  been  if  Jacob  Riis  had  not  followed 
Christ  there.    Have  you  ever  made  any  sin  of  this  kind? 

(4)  The  world  and  the  Advocate,    xvi,  i-ii 

^  1  ^  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that 
^^  -"-  ^  ye  should  not  be  caused  to  stiunble.  2  They  shall 
put  you  out  of  the  synagogues:  yea,  the  hour  cometh,  that 
whosoever  killeth  you  shall  think  that  he  offereth  service 
imto  God.  3  And  these  things  will  they  do,  because  they 
have  not  known  the  Father,  nor  me.  4  But  these  things 
have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  when  their  hour  is  come,  ye 
may  remember  them,  how  that  I  told  you.  And  these 
things  I  said  not  unto  you  from  the  beginning,  because 
I  was  with  you.  5  But  now  I  go  unto  him  that  sent  me; 
and  none  of  you  asketh  me.  Whither  goest  thou?  6  But 
because  I  have  spoken  these  things  unto  you,  sorrow  hath 
filled  your  heart.  7  Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth: 
It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away;  for  if  I  go  not  away, 
the  Comforter  will  not  come  imto  you;  but  I  if  go,  I  will 
send  him  unto  you.  8  And  he,  when  he  is  come,  will  con- 
vict the  world  in  respect  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and 
of  judgment:  9  of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  me; 
10  of  righteousness,  because  I  go  to  the  Father,  and  ye 
behold  me  no  more;  11  of  judgment,  because  the  prince 
of  this  world  hath  been  judged. 

xvi,  1-3.  This  is  a  wonderful  warning.  The  disciples 
were  to  understand  that  earnest  and  conscientious  men 
were  to  kill  them  for  God's  sake.  That  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  it  was  not  enough  to  believe  in  God  and 
to  desire  to  please  God.  If  one  may  believe  in  God  and 
seek  to  please  Him  and  yet  be  a  murderer,  it  is  evident 
that  a  faith  in  God  is  not  enough.  The  Moslems  are 
earnest  theists  and  their  religion  has  no  prayers  for  women 
and  provides  for  polygamy.  A  belief  in  God  does  not 
save  them  from  such  immorality.  All  depends  on  what 
kind  of  a  God  men  believe  in.  And  Jesus  taught  plainly 
that  the  only  adequate  religious  faith  is  a  faith  that 
accepte  the  revelation  of  the  Father  character  of  God 


Ch.XVI.  i-ii    ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  151 

in  Christ.  It  was  because  they  rejected  this  that  the 
ardent  servants  of  an  un-Christhke  God  could  be  mur- 
derers. What  Jesus  declared  is  the  everlasting  truth. 
There  is  no  moral  or  spiritual  adequacy  in  any  religious 
faith  to-day  that  empties  the  Person  of  Christ  of  its 
full  significance.  Unless  men  accept  the  revelation  of 
God  in  Christ  we  have  reason  to  fear  both  their  religion 
and  their  ethics.  And  let  us  take  the  personal  warning. 
Do  we  know  the  Father  and  Christ?  To  the  extent  that 
we  do  not,  we  are  in  moral  and  spiritual  danger  too. 
We  may  be  self-deceived  and  misled  as  to  moral  qualities, 

xvi,  4-7.  The  going  of  the  Saviour  was  as  blessed  as 
His  coming.  It  was  necessary  that  He  should  come. 
Only  God  in  the  flesh  could  do  for  us  what  needed  to  be 
done.  But  it  was  necessary  that  He  should  go  away. 
Suppose  He  had  not  gone  away!  That  which  had  come 
to  humanity  could  not  have  found  its  way  into  humanity. 
It  would  not  have  been  for  all  ages  and  all  lands.  The 
cross  and  the  opened  grave  gave  God  in  Christ  to  the 
whole  world  forever.  And  even  for  those  special  men 
it  was  well  that  Christ  went  away.  It  gave  them  their 
Gospel.  It  gave  them  their  manhood.  It  gave  them  their 
power.  It  gave  them  their  Christ.  They  had  Him  in 
His  reahty  a  thousand  times  more  fully  and  truly  after 
He  had  gone  than  they  had  ever  had  Him  before.  And 
the  principle  of  gain  by  loss  is  the  everlasting  principle 
of  God's  dealing  with  men.  That  which  we  would  fain 
keep  is  taken  away  and  lo!  God  gives  us  instead  more 
than  we  had  known  how  to  conceive. 

xvi,  8-1 1.  The  divine  Spirit  who  is  to  bear  witness 
of  Christ  is  to  convict  the  world  in  respect  of  sin  and 
of  righteousness  and  of  judgment.  Those  are  the  deepest 
things  in  life.  It  is  with  them  that  the  Spirit  of  Life 
is  to  deal.  He  is  to  convict  the  world  of  the  sin  of  not 
believing  in  Christ.  But  we  are  told  that  it  is  unreason- 
able to  believe  in  Christ,  that  He  was  only  a  man  like 
other  men.  That  was  not  Jesus'  view.  Not  to  believe 
on  Him  He  teaches  here  is  sin.  This  is  hard  teaching 
for  our  day,  but  it  is  the  truth.  The  deepest  sin  is  the 
sin  of  unbelief.  Unbelief  is  not  merely  an  intellectual 
disagreement;  it  is  moral  disobedience.  And  the  Spirit 
is  to  convince  also  of  righteousness.    He  is  to  give  men 


152  THE  CONSUMMATION     Ch.  XVI.  12-15 

a  new  life  of  righteous  principle,  of  free,  spontaneous 
action  in  right  doing.  The  departure  of  Jesus  would  make 
this  possible.  Obedience  would  be  then  not  conformance 
to  a  verbal  rule  or  an  external  constraint,  but  the  joyful 
utterance  of  an  inner  law,  the  conformity  of  life  to  unseen 
and  eternal  principles.  And  the  Spirit  was  to  convince 
men  of  judgment,  because  He  would  enable  men  to  realize 
that  the  fundamental  issues  had  been  settled,  that  the 
triumph  of  right  was  not  uncertain  and  problematical 
but  already  determined.  And  these  things  the  Spirit  is 
doing.  Whoever  opens  his  life  to  Him  is  convinced  of 
these  things. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  my  kind  of  belief  in  God  and  is  the  kind  of  God 
in  whom  I  really  believe  morally  safe? 

2.  Wherein  is  the  world  better  off  because  Christ  left 
it  than  it  would  have  been  if  He  had  stayed  in  it? 

3.  Has  the  Holy  Spirit  convicted  the  world  as  Jesus 
promised?  If  He  has  not  yet,  but  is  to  do  it,  how  can 
the  time  be  hastened?    Have  we  any  part  in  it? 


(5)  The  Advocate  and  the  disciples,   xvi,  12-15 

/f5)  12  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  can- 
^-^  not  bear  them  now.  13  Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit 
of  truth,  is  come,  he  shall  guide  you  into  all  the  truth:  for 
he  shall  not  speak  from  himself;  but  what  things  soever 
he  shall  hear,  thgse  shall  he  speak:  and  he  shall  declare 
unto  you  the  things  that  are  to  come.  14  He  shall  glorify 
me:  for  he  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  declare  it  unto 
you.  15  All  things  whatsoever  the  Father  hath  are  mine: 
therefore  said  I,  that  he  taketh  of  mine,  and  shall  declare 
it  unto  you. 

Christians  should  have  no  fear  of  the  doctrine  of  devel- 
opment. Their  own  physical  life  should  teach  them  that 
this  is  the  method  of  God,  and  the  world  about  them 
reveals  God's  process  of  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear, 
then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  And  if  there  is  an  indis- 
putable fact  about  the  inner  spiritual  life,  it  is  that  it  is 
a  life  of  growth.    Why  then  should  Christians  fear  to 


Ch.XVI.  I2-IS   ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  153 

recognize  God's  use  of  the  same  method  in  the  education 
of  the  Church?  Jesus  plainly  said  that  He  had  much 
to  say  to  His  disciples  that  He  could  not  say.  He  could 
only  begin.  The  Spirit  would  lead  them  on.  And  yet 
He  would  in  reality  bring  nothing  new.  What  is  in  the 
ear  was  already  in  the  blade.  The  Spirit  was  to  give 
them  full  understanding  of  that  which  they  had  only 
partially  understood.  They  had  known  Christ  and  all 
that  the  Father  had  given  Him  He  had  given  to  them. 
But  in  another  sense  they  had  not  known  Him  and  much 
of  what  the  Father  had  given  Him  they  were  incapable 
of  receiving.  The  Spirit  was  to  remind  them  of  Him 
and  His  teaching  and  to  show  them  deeper  meanings 
than  they  had  perceived.  He  was  to  develop,  that  is, 
to  unfold,  the  Person  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Saviour 
for  them.  But  only  that  can  be  unfolded  which  is  infolded. 
What  is  not  within  cannot  be  taken  out.  Let  us  thank 
God  that  in  the  Church  and  in  all  life  and  in  the  history 
of  the  world  the  unfolding  is  done  by  the  same  divine 
hand  that  did  the  infolding.  Thus  understood  the  doc- 
trine of  evolution  has  no  dangers,  and  is  not  untrue. 

Questions  for' Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  were  the  things  to  which  Jesus  referred  in  v.  12? 
Did  He  say  them  to  the  disciples  in  the  long  talks  of 
which  so  little  is  recorded,  but  the  effects  of  which  were 
so  re-creative,  after  the  resurrection?  Or  were  they 
the  things  which  the  Holy  Spirit  revealed  and  which  are 
preserved  in  the  Epistles  and  the  Apocalypse?  Or  were 
they  the  lessons  which  the  early  Church  learned,  as  in 
the  Acts,  and  the  later  Church  in  her  education  under 
her  ever-living  Lord? 

2.  What  lesson  may  all  who  would  guide  and  teach 
men  learn  from  the  character  of  that  Spirit  Who  "shall 
not  speak  from  Himself"?  In  these  days,  when  we  are 
so  often  told  that  everything  depends  on  the  personality 
of  the  speaker,  do  we  not  need  to  learn  the  deeper  lesson 
that  the  strongest  human  personaHty  is  the  personality 
which  is  gone  out  of  sight  and  beyond  all  observance 
into  another  and  is  become  hid  with  Christ  in  God? 

3.  Try  here  the  new  definition  of   "glorify."    If  the 


154  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XVI.  16-24 

Holy  Spirit  is  to  glorify  Christ  in  this  way,  might  not 
this  be  the  best  way  for  us  to  do  so? 

(6)  Sorrow  turned  to  joy.    xvi,  16-24 

@i6  A  little  while,  and  ye  behold  me  no  more;  and 
again  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me.  17  Some  of 
his  disciples  therefore  said  one  to  another,  What  is  this 
that  he  saith  imto  us,  A  little  while,  and  ye  behold  me  not; 
and  again  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me:  and.  Because 
I  go  to  the  Father?  18  They  said  therefore,  What  is  this 
that  he  saith,  A  little  while?  We  know  not  what  he  saith. 
19  Jesus  perceived  that  they  were  desirous  to  ask  him, 
and  he  said  unto  them,  Do  ye  inquire  among  yourselves 
concerning  this,  that  I  said,  A  little  while,  and  ye  behold 
me  not,  and  again  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me?  20 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  shall  weep  and  lament, 
but  the  world  shall  rejoice:  ye  shall  be  sorrowful,  but  your 
sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy.  21  A  woman  when  she 
is  in  travail  hath  sorrow,  because  her  hour  is  come;  but 
when  she  is  delivered  of  the  child,  she  remember eth  no 
more  the  anguish,  for  the  joy  that  a  man  is  born  into  the  world. 
22  And  ye  therefore  now  have  sorrow:  but  I  will  see  you 
again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy  no  one 
taketh  away  from  you.  23  And  in  that  day  ye  shall  ask 
me  no  questions.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  If  ye  shall 
ask  anything  of  the  Father,  he  will  give  it  you  in  my  name. 
24  Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing  in  my  name:  ask,  and 
ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  made  full. 

The  problem  before  Jesus  in  dealing  with  His  disciples 
this  last  evening  was  how  to  tell  them  of  His  death  and 
resurrection  and  reappearance  to  them  in  a  way  to  foster 
faith  and  spiritual  trust.  That  was  the  problem  ever 
before  Him  in  the  training  of  the  Twelve,  to  tell  them 
just  enough  and  in  just  the  right  way  to  lead  them  on 
to  the  truth  and  yet  preserve  their  own  spiritual  inde- 
pendence and  integrity.  How  beautifully,  as  the  dis- 
ciples looked  back  afterwards  and  recalled  His  words, 
did  the  Lord's  anticipation  of  His  death  and  return  cover 
the  exact  circumstances!  They  were  designed  to  prepare 
the  hearts  of  His  friends  for  just  what  happened.  They 
were  not  designed  to  coerce  their  minds.  His  way  of 
putting  it  must  have  quickened  every  spiritual  facultj 


Ch.  XVI.  25-33    ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  155 

in  them  and  challenged  them  to  enter  in  the  deepest 
way  into  the  great  experience  through  which  He  was 
passing,  instead  of  making  it  all  something  external  and 
mechanical  to  them  regarding  which  they  merely  accepted 
His  description.  And  how  beautifully  He  presses  on  them 
the  great  spiritual  principle  represented  in  His  death  and 
reappearing,  the  lesson  of  the  price  of  pain  which  must 
be  paid  for  what  is  most  precious!  That  which  we  do 
not  have  to  suffer  for  cannot  be  among  Hfe's  highest 
treasures. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Can  you  reconstruct  the  discussion  among  the  dis- 
ciples over  this  strange  word,  "A  Httle  while  and  ye  shall 
not.    And  again  a  little  while  and  ye  shall"? 

2.  Wherein  was  Christ's  answer  to  their  confusion, 
in  which  He  tenfold  multiplied  their  perplexity,  better 
than  any  plain  materialistic  explanation  would  have  been? 

3.  Is  not  sorrow  which  man  makes  and  Christ  takes 
av/ay  worth  enduring  if  after  it  comes  the  joy  which 
Christ  makes  and  man  cannot  take  away? 

(7)  Defeat  and  victory,    xvi,  25-33 

^  25  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  in  dark 
^^  sayings:  the  hour  cometh,  when  I  shall  no  more  speak 
unto  you  in  dark  sayings,  but  shall  tell  you  plainly  of  the 
Father.  26  In  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name:  and  I 
say  not  unto  you,  that  I  will  pray  the  Father  for  you;  27 
for  the  Father  himself  loveth  you,  because  ye  have  loved 
me,  and  have  believed  that  I  came  forth  from  the  Father. 
28  I  came  out  from  the  Father,  and  am  come  into  the  world : 
again,  I  leave  the  world,  and  go  unto  the  Father.  29  His 
disciples  say,  Lo,  now  speakest  thou  plainly,  and  speak- 
est  no  dark  saying.  30  Now  know  we  that  thou  knowest 
all  things,  and  needest  not  that  any  man  should  ask  thee: 
by  this  we  believe  that  thou  earnest  forth  from  God.  31 
Jesus  answered  them,  Do  ye  now  believe?  32  Behold, 
the  hour  cometh,  yea,  is  come,  that  ye  shall  be  scattered, 
every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone:  and  yet 
I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me.  33  These 
things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  in  me  ye  may  have  peace. 
In  the  world  ye  have  tribulation:  but  be  of  good  cheer; 
I  have  overcome  the  world. 


156  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XVI.  25-33 

In  the  East  a  man's  name  is  himself.  It  indicates  his 
personality  and  influence.  A  request  made  authoritatively 
in  a  man's  name  is  made  as  in  and  for  the  man.  Hence- 
forth the  disciples  were  to  know  Christ  as  they  had  never 
known  Him  and  were  to  pray  as  in  His  very  presence 
and  life.  So  praying  it  would  be  as  though  He  prayed. 
Their  life  in  Him  and  their  love  for  Him  gave  them  His 
standing  before  the  Father.  They  did  not  do  this  in 
themselves  but  as  the  answer  to  His  hfe  in  them  and 
His  love  for  them.  These  were  the  great  reaUties,  of 
which  their  Hfe  and  love  were  the  acceptance,  to  which 
their  life  and  love  were  the  response.  All  this  Jesus 
had  told  them  in  the  only  way  in  which  it  could  be  taught 
them,  by  figures  of  speech  and  parables.  Some  day  He 
could  speak  to  them  as  Spirit  to  Spirit,  but  meanwhile 
He  had  done  all  that  He  could  to  bring  them  to  peace 
in  Him.  If  they  wandered  outside  of  Him  into  the  world, 
they  would  have  trouble.  Indeed  as  being  in  the  world 
and  sent  to  fulfil  a  mission  there  they  must  expect  trial 
and  testing,  the  tribulation  which  the  husbandman  gives 
the  grain  when  he  separates  it  from  the  chaff.  But  their 
real  home,  the  abiding  place  of  their  true  life,  their  spirits, 
was  in  Him  and  there,  whatever  storms  might  blow  without, 
there  would  be  peace. 

Read  the  "Keswick  Hymn"  and  claim  it  all  for  yourself. 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  When  did  the  hour  come  to  which  Jesus  referred 
in  V.  25? 

2.  Is  not  that  hour  now?  Is  not  to-day  "that  day" 
of  which  Jesus  spoke  in  ?;.  26? 

3.  Why  should  Christ's  simple  statement  in  v.  28  have 
called  forth  such  a  grateful  and  sweeping  confession  of 
faith  from  the  disciples  in  vv.  29.  30? 

4.  Note  the  contrast.  Not  "in  the  future  world,  peace," 
"in  the  present  world,  tribulation."  But  "in  Me,  peace," 
"in  the  world,  tribulation."  The  two  spheres  are  not  suc- 
cessive. They  overlap,  and  one  annuls  the  other.  It  is 
not  peace  after  tribulation.  It  is  peace  over  and  through 
and  in  tribulation. 


Ch.  XVII.  i-s     ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  157 


c.  The  High-priestly  prayer,    xvii 

This  is  the  Holy  of  Holies  of  the  Gospels.  We  can 
enter  and  understand  only  in  the  deep  and  holy  times 
of  our  own  lives.  We  have  heard  Jesus  talking  to  the 
people,  to  His  enemies,  to  His  closest  friends.  Now  we 
hear  Him  talking  to  the  Father,  (i)  This  is  the  true 
Lord's  Prayer.  The  prayer  which  we  usually  call  by 
that  name  might  be  called  the  Disciples'  Prayer.  This 
was  His  own  prayer.  He  was  ever  a  man  of  prayer. 
Matt,  xiv,  23;  xix,  13;  Mark  i,  35;  Luke  iii,  21;  v,  16; 
ix,  18,  28;  xi,  I,  etc.  It  is  only  here,  however,  that  we 
have  the  full  text  of  one  of  His  prayers.  There  is  a  short 
prayer  given  in  Matt,  xi,  25,  and  there  are  other  brief 
ejaculatory  prayers,  but  here  alone  do  we  see  what  full 
prayer  to  the  Father  meant.  John  does  not,  however, 
say  here  or  elsewhere  that  Jesus  "prayed."  John  xvii, 
I  and  Luke  xxii,  41.  Still  John  gives  us  two  other  prayers 
not  recorded  elsewhere,  xi,  41;  xii,  27.  (2)  The  prayer 
was  spoken  aloud,  for  the  sake  of  the  disciples,  v.  13. 
Here,  indeed,  was  a  school  of  prayer.  (3)  The  prayer 
was  offered  probably  on  the  way  from  the  upper  room  to 
Gethsemane,  at  the  temple  as  He  and  His  disciples  passed 
by.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  priests  to  open  the  gates 
of  the  temple  at  midnight  at  the  Passover.  Jn  front 
of  His  own  house  from  which  He  had  been  cast  out  and 
hearing  the  midnight  prayer  of  those  who  should  have 
been  His  priests  but  were  His  murderers  He  prayed. 
(4)  The  calm  prayer  just  preceded  the  bitter  agony. 
Those  who  have  great  trials  ahead  of  them  would  do 
well  to  make  ready  for  them  as  Jesus  did. 

(i)  The  Son  and  the  Father,    xvii,  1-5 

(J4)  1  7  These  things  spake  Jesus;  and  lifting  up  his 
^-^  -*-  •  eyes  to  heaven,  he  said,  Father,  the  houf  is  come; 
glorify  thy  Son,  that  the  Son  may  glorify  thee:  2  even  as 
tiiou  gavest  him  authority  over  all  flesh,  that  to  all  whom 
thou  hast  given  him,  he  should  give  eternal  life.  3  And 
this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  should  know  thee  the  only 
true  God,  and  him  whom  thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus 
Christ.    4  I  glorified  thee  on  the  earth,  having  accomplished 


158  THE  CONSUMMATION         Ch.  XVII.  1-5 

the  work  which  thou  hast  given  me  to  do.  5  And  now, 
Father,  glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the  glory 
which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world  was. 

This  prayer  is  made  up  of  three  parts.  The  first  has 
to  do  with  the  Son  and  the  Father,  w.  1-5.  He  has  but 
one  request  to  make  for  Himself.  It  is  a  request  for 
fresh  glory  in  order  to  glorify  the  Father.  "Father," 
he  says,  in  the  simplest  form,  not  "My  Father,"  but 
"Father."  w.  5,  11,  24,  25;  John  xi,  41;  xii,  27;  Matt, 
xi,  25;  Luke  xxii,  42;  xxiii,  34,  46.  "Father,"  he  asks, 
"the  hour  is  come.  Show  now  the  character  of  Thy 
Son  that  He  may  show  Thy  character."  This  would 
complete  the  Son's  mission — the  gift  of  eternal  life  to 
men.  And  what  is  eternal  life?  It  is  not  the  possession 
of  a  completed,  but  the  struggle  after  a  growing,  knowledge. 
The  whole  knowledge  was  in  God  and  Christ,  but  it  could 
not  be  given  in  one  lump  to  men.  It  can  only  come  as 
the  gradual  apprehension  of  that  which  has  already  ap- 
prehended us  in  Christ.  The  full  revelation  had  been 
given,  however,  in  Him.  His  b'fe  of  love  and  obedience 
had  revealed  and  glorified  God.  That  work  He  had 
finished.  This  was  the  utterance  of  the  one  perfectly 
pure  conscience  which  the  world  has  seen.  This  was 
His  word  about  Himself.  No  man  could  pray  such  a 
prayer.    Our  prayer  at  the  end  must  be: 

"When  I  look  back  upon  my  life  nigh  spent, 

Nigh  spent  although  the  stream  as  yet  flows  on, 

With  self,  O  Father,  leave  me  not  alone, 
Leave  not  with  the  beguiler  the  beguiled. 

Besmirched  and  ragged.  Lord,  take  back  Thine  own, 
A  fool  I  bring  Thee  to  be  made  a  child." 

— George  Macdonald. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  How  much  do  we  know  from  all  four  Gospels  about 
Jesus'  habit  of  prayer? 

2.  What  is  "life"?  What  is  "eternal"?  What  is 
"eternal  hfe"?  What  is  it  to  know  anything?  What 
is  it  to  know  God? 


Ch.  XVII.  6-19    ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  159 

3.  What  was  the  work  which  God  had  given  Jesus  to 
do?    Was  it  accomplished  when  He  made  this  prayer? 

4.  Did  our  Lord  ever  call  God  anything  but  "Father"? 

(2)  The  Son  and  the  disciples,     xvii,  6-19 

(t^  6  1  manifested  thy  name  unto  the  men  whom  thou 
^-^  gavest  me  out  of  the  world:  thine  they  were,  and  thou 
gavest  them  to  me;  and  they  have  kept  thy  word.  7  Now 
they  know  that  all  things  whatsoever  thou  hast  given  me  are 
from  thee:  8  for  the  words  which  thou  gavest  me  I  have 
given  unto  them;  and  they  received  them,  and  knew  of  a 
truth  that  I  came  forth  from  thee,  and  they  believed  that 
thou  didst  send  me.  9  I  pray  for  them:  I  pray  not  for 
the  world,  but  for  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me;  for 
they  are  thine:  10  and  all  things  that  are  mine  are  thine, 
and  thine  are  mine;  and  I  am  glorified  in  them.  11  And 
I  am  no  more  in  the  world,  and  these  are  in  the  world,  and 
I  come  to  thee.  Holy  Father,  keep  them  in  thy  name  which 
thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  mr*. 
12  While  I  was  with  them,  I  kept  them  in  thy  name  which 
thou  hast  given  me:  and  I  guarded  them,  and  not  one 
of  them  perished,  but  the  son  of  perdition;  that  the  scrip- 
ture might  be  fulfilled.  13  But  now  I  come  to  thee;  and 
these  things  I  speak  in  the  world,  that  they  may  have  my 
joy  made  full  in  themselves.  14  I  have  given  them  thy 
word;  and  the  world  hated  them,  because  they  are  not  of 
the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.  15  I  pray  not  that 
thou  shouldest  take  them  from  the  world,  but  that  thou 
shouldst  keep  them  from  the  evil  one.  16  They  are  not 
of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.  17  Sanctify 
them  in  the  truth:  thy  word  is  truth.  18  As  thou  didst 
send  me  into  the  world,  even  so  sent  I  them  into  the  world. 
19  And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that  they  them- 
selves also  may  be  sanctified  in  truth. 

The  second  section  of  the  prayer  relates  to  Christ's 
immediate  disciples.  First  Jesus  describes  them;  they 
were  men  given  to  Christ  by  God  out  of  the  world;  they 
had  kept  God's  word;  the  words  which  God  had  given 
Christ  they  had  received;  they  knew  that  Christ  had 
come  forth  from  God,  and  they  believed  that  God  had  sent 
Him.  For  them  now,  and  not  for  the  world,  which  had 
been  so  "ften  the  burden  of  His  prayers,  He  would  pray. 


160  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XVII.  6-19 

How  tenderly  He  relates  them  to  God!  He  was  leaving 
them  in  the  world.  While  with  them  He  had  kept  them. 
Now  He  was  going.  God  must  keep  them — God,  His 
Father.  And  He  calls  Him  now  His  Holy  Father.  It 
was  as  the  Holy  Father  and  in  His  holiness  that  He  must 
keep  these  disciples  of  His  son.  This  was  His  great 
longing  for  them — that  they  might  be  kept  in  the  name 
of  God  as  Holy  Father  and  from  the  evil.  Nothing 
more  is  needed.  Those  whom  God  as  Holy  Father  keeps 
in  Himself  and  keeps  from  all  evil  are  kept  indeed. 

"Hidden  in  the  hollow  of  His  blessed  hand, 
Never  foe  can  follow,  never  traitor  stand, 
Not  a  blast  of  worry,  not  a  touch  of  care. 
Not  a  surge  of  hurry,  reach  the  spirit  there." 

And  His  prayer  for  His  disciples  closes  with  another  word 
of  description  and  appeal  and  petition:  "They  are  not 
of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world."  Suppose 
Christ  were  to  come  back  to-day,  would  He  be  of  the 
world  or  would  He  not?  Would  those  who  make  gain 
of  human  lust,  those  who,  knowing  God,  prefer  fleshly 
pleasure  to  His  love,  those  who  are  wise  in  their  own 
judgment  and  satisfied  in  their  own  will,  the  sinner  and 
the  Pharisee  give  Him  a  welcome  that  would  make  Him 
one  with  them?  Or  is  the  world  still  the  world?  If  it 
is,  are  we  of  it?  If  we  are,  we  are  not  open  to  that  sancti- 
fication  in  the  truth  for  which  Christ  so  asked,  and  which 
will  come  to  those  who  are  kept  in  a  Holy  God,  Who  is 
the  fountain  of  truth. 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  How   fully   could   we    quahfy   as    Christ's   disciples 
under  this  description? 

2.  What  was  the  name  of  God  which  He  gave  to  Christ? 
What  is  it  to  be  kept  in  that  name? 

3.  What  is  it  to  be  sanctified?    Can  it  be  done  other- 
wise than  by  truth? 

4.  What  did  Christ  mean  when  He  said,  "My  joy"? 
And  how  can  it  be  "made  full"? 


Ch.  XVII.  20-26   ENTHRONEMENT  OF  FAITH  161 


(3)  The  Son  and  the  Church,    xvii,  20-26 

(to)  20  Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them 
^-^  also  that  believe  on  me  through  their  word;  21  that 
they^may  all  be  one;  even  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and 
I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  in  us:  that  the  world  may 
believe  that  thou  didst  send  me.  22  And  the  glory  which 
thou  hast  given  me  I  have  given  unto  them;  that  they  may 
be  one,  even  as  we  are  one ;  23  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me, 
that  they  may  be  perfected  into  one;  that  the  world  may 
know  that  thou  didst  send  me,  and  lovest  them,  even  as 
thou  lovedst  me.  24  Father,  I  desire  that  they  also  whom 
thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me  where  I  am,  that  they  may 
behold  my  glory,  which  thou  hast  given  me :  for  thou  lovedst 
me  before  the  foundation  of  the  world.  25  O  righteous 
Father,  the  world  knew  thee  not,  but  I  knew  thee;  and 
these  knew  that  thou  didst  send  me ;  26  and  I  made  known 
unto  them  thy  name,  and  will  make  it  known ;  that  the  love 
wherewith  thou  lovedst  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them. 

The  third  section  of  the  prayer  relates  to  a  far  wider 
company — to  those  who  should  believe  in  Christ  through 
the  disciples'  word.  And  it  is  a  prayer  for  unity.  He 
sees  all  the  multitudes  who  were  to  believe  on  Him,  and 
He  asks  again  and  again: 

(i)  That  they  may  all  be  one. 

(2)  Even  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  Me  and  I  in  Thee 
(I  and  the  Father  are  one)  that  they  also  may  be  in  us. 

(3)  That  they  may  be  one  even  as  we  are  one. 

(4)  That  they  may  be  perfected  into  one. 

This  prayer  cannot  be  fulfilled  in  sectarianism.  It  cannot 
be  fulfilled  in  what  is  sometimes  offered  as  sufficient, 
"fraternal  relations."  That  was  not  the  kind  of  unity 
for  which  the  Saviour  prayed.  It  was  not  co-operation, 
or  toleration,  or  fraternity.  It  was  oneness.  And  while 
He  asked  for  this  for  the  believers*  sake  that  they  might 
know  a  love  which  otherwise  they  never  could  know, 
and  see  a  glory  which  would  otherwise  be  hidden  from  them. 
He  asked  for  it  much  more  for  the  world's  sake.  Only 
a  unity  of  disciples  like  the  unity  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  and  grounded  in  it  could  give  to  the  gospel  convincing 
power.  When  men  see  Christians  really  united  one  with 
another,  as  God  and  Christ  are  one,  and  loving  one  another 


162  THE  CONSUMMATION     Ch.  XVII.  20-26 

with  the  love  that  reigns  in  God,  they  will  be  convinced 
of  the  mission  and  character  of  the  Saviour.  Wonderfully 
rich  and  tender  is  our  Lord's  thought  about  us — for  it 
was  for  us  that  He  prayed  as  He  closed  His  prayer.  He 
who  had  no  will  for  Himself  willed  earnestly,  as  He  told 
the  Father,  to  have  us  with  Him.  "That  will  be  glory 
for  me,"  as  the  Glory  Song  declares.  And  His  prayer 
ends  in  the  love  that  was  all  His  Ufe,  "that  the  love 
wherewith  Thou  lovedst  me  may  be  in  them  and  I  in 
them."  That  leaves  nothing  more  to  be  said.  That  will 
be  fulness  of  Ufe  and  peace  for  us.  Are  we  willing  to 
have  this  prayer  answered? 

"It  is  indeed  the  only  Son  who  here  speaks  to  the 
Father.  Everything  in  these  beautiful  words  is  super- 
natural because  He  who  speaks  is  the  only  Son  who  has 
come  from  heaven;  but  at  the  same  time  everything 
in  them  is  natural,  for  He  speaks  as  a  Son  speaks  to  His 
FsiiheT."—Gess. 

"Yea  through  life,  death,  through  sorrow  and  through  sinning 
He  shall  suffice  me,  for  He  hath  sufficed. 
Christ  is  the  end  as  Christ  was  the  beginning. 
Christ  the  beginning  for  the  end  is  Christ." 

— Myers. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  For  what  kind  of  unity  did  our  Lord  pray?  Was 
it  for  fraternity?  Was  it  for  co-operation?  Do  not 
such  terms  mock  His  words?  Is  not  "organic  unity" 
even  a  tame  phrase  in  comparison  with  His  mighty  thought? 

2.  Have  we  any  right  to  say  that  what  our  Lord  prayed 
for  is  impossible?  Have  we  any  more  right  to  set  our 
consciences  in  the  way  of  this  than  we  have  to  set  them 
against  the  character  of  God?  If  men  need  to  be  warned 
against  the  latter,  xvi,  2,  3,  do  they  not  need  to  be  warned 
also  against  the  former? 

3.  Is  not  this  the  only  "desire"  that  Jesus  ever  ex- 
pressed? V.  24.  Think  upon  this  and  upon  what  it  was 
that  He  desired.  Can  you  do  this  with  an  immoved  heart? 
Was  not  this  the  Son  of  God? 


III.   THE   CONSUMMATION   OF    FAITH 
AND  UNBELIEF,    xiii-xx 


A.  The  Enthronement  of  Faith  through  the  Last  Min- 

istry OF  Love  and  the  Self-revelations  of  Light 
AND  Life,    xiii-xvii. 

B.  The  Victory  and  Defeat  of  Unbelief,    xviii-xx. 

1.  Its  Victory  in  Christ's  death,    xviii,  xix. 

a.  The  betrayal,     xviii,  i-ii. 

h.  The  double  trial,     xviii,  12-xix,  16. 

(i)  The  ecclesiastical  trial,  xviii.     12-27. 

(2)  The  civil  trial,  xviii.     27-xix,  16. 
c.  The  end.    xix,  17-42. 

(i)  The  crucifixion,     xix,  17-22. 

(2)  The  bystanders,     xix,  23-27. 

(3)  The  death,     xix,  28-30. 

(4)  The  two  requests,     xix,  31-42. 

(a)  The  Jews,     xix,  31-37. 
(&)  Joseph,     xix,  38-42. 

2.  Its  defeat  in  Christ's  resurrection.     The  new  life.     xx. 

a.  The  facts  satisfying  Peter  and  John,     xx,  i-io. 

b.  The  revelation  to  personal    love.     Mary,     xx, 

11-18. 

c.  The  revelation  to  the  fear-filled  disciples,     xxi, 

19-23. 

d.  The  revelation  to  Thomas,  xx,  24-29. 

The  close  of  the  story  and  ^ohn's  explanation  of  his  purpose. 
XX,  30, 31. 


"In  the  Four  Gospels,  or  rather  in  the  four  books  of  the 
one  Gospel,  the  Apostle  St.  John  has  lifted  higher  and  far  more 
sublimely  than  the  other  three  his  proclamation,  and  in  lifting 
it  up  he  has  wished  our  hearts  also  to  be  lifted." — Augustine. 

"St.  John  expresses  the  Divine  voice  with  absolute  authority 
of  spiritual  life  and  death  in  the  present  and  the  future.  .  .  . 
Through  the  study  of  the  Apocalypse,  we  are  able  in  a  vague 
and  dim  way  to  understand  how  that  long  drawn  out  living 
death  in  Patmos  was  the  necessary  training  through  which  he 
must  pass  who  should  write  the  Fourth  Gospel.  In  no  other 
way  could  man  rise  to  that  superhuman  level  in  which  the 
Fourth  Gospel  is  pitched  and  be  able  to  gaze  with  steady,  un- 
wavering eyes  on  the  eternal  and  the  Divine,  and  to  remain  so 
unconscious  of  the  ephemeral  world." — Professor  W.  M.  Ramsay. 


Ch.XVIII.i-ii  VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  165 


III.  THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  FAITH  AND    UN- 
BELIEF,    xiii-xx 

B.  The  Victory  and  the  Defeat  of  Unbelief,    xv-xx 

I.  Its  Victory  in  Christ's  Death,    xviii,  xix 

a.  The  betrayal,    xviii,  i-ii 

^10  When  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words,  he  went 
^^  -*-"  forth  with  his  disciples  over  the  brook  Eidron, 
where  was  a  garden,  into  which  he  entered,  himself  and  his 
disciples.  2  Now  Judas  also,  who  betrayed  him,  knew 
the  place:  for  Jesus  ofttimes  resorted  thither  with  his 
disciples.  3  Judas  then,  having  received  the  band  of 
soldiers,  and  officers  from  the  chief  priests  and  the  Phar- 
isees, Cometh  thither  with  lanterns  and  torches  and  weap- 
ons. 4  Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all  the  things  that  were 
coming  upon  him,  went  forth,  and  saith  unto  tiiem,  Whom 
seek  ye?  5  They  answered  him,  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  I  am  he.  And  Judas  also,  who  betrayed 
him,  was  standing  with  them.  6  When  therefore  he  said 
unto  them,  I  am  ke,  they  went  backward,  and  fell  to  the 
grotmd.  7  Again  therefore  he  asked  them.  Whom  seek 
ye?  And  they  said,  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  8  Jesus  an- 
swered, I  told  you  that  I  am  he  \  if  therefore  ye  seek  me, 
let  these  go  their  way:  9  that  the  word  might  be  fulfilled 
which  he  spake.  Of  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me  I  lost 
not  one.  10  Simon  Peter  therefore  having  a  sword  drew 
it,  and  struck  the  high  priest's  servant,  and  cut  off  his  right 
ear.  Now  the  servant's  name  v/as  Malchus.  11  Jesus 
therefore  said  unto  Peter,  Put  up  the  sword  into  the  sheath: 
the  cup  which  the  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink 
it? 

Chapters  xviii  and  xix  set  forth  the  victory  of  unbelief 
in  Christ's  death.  These  first  eleven  verses  tell  the  story 
of  the  betrayal.  The  place  was  over  the  brook  Kidron, 
I  Kings  ii,  37.  John  does  not  call  the  place  Gethsemane. 
It  was  the  ravine  of  the  cedars  mentioned  in  the  Old 
Testament  in  I  Kings  xv,  13,  II  Kings  xxiii,  4  ff,  II  Chron. 
xxix,  16,  Jer.  xxxi,  40.  It  was  a  garden.  Man  fell  and 
rose  in  a  garden.    Here  was  the  agony  of  which  J6hn  says 


166  THE  CONSUMMATION     Ch.  XVIII.  i-ii 

nothing.  Thither  came  Judas  with  torches,  though  it 
was  full  moon  and  Jesus  met  him  calm  and  fearless.  Those 
who  came  to  meet  Jesus  were  the  terrified  ones.  The 
disciples  who  were  His  protectors  were  protected  by  Him. 
Even  in  this  hour  His  thought  was  of  them.  "If  ye  seek 
Me,"  said  He,  "let  these  go  their  way."  And  without 
resistance,  though  He  might  have  slain  them,  the  Prince 
of  Peace  went  quietly  to  His  trial. 

"Into  the  woods  my  Master  went, 
Clean  forspent,  forspent; 
Into  the  woods  my  Master  came, 
Forspent  with  love  and  shame. 
But  the  oHves  they  were  not  blind  to  Him, 
The  little  gray  leaves  were  kind  to  Him, 
The  thorn-tree  had  a  mind  to  Him, 
When  into  the  woods  He  came. 

"Out  of  the  woods  my  Master  went, 
And  He  was  well  content; 
Out  of  the  woods  my  Master  came, 
Content  with  death  and  shame. 
When  death  and  shame  would  woo  Him  last, 
From  under  the  trees  they  drew  Him  last, 
'Twas  on  a  tree  they  slew  Him  last, 
When  out  of  the  woods  He  came." 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  How  different  this  seeking  from  the  first!  Compare 
xviii,  4-8  with  i,  38-42,  the  end  of  unbelief  with  the  be- 
ginning of  faith. 

2.  Was  not  Jesus  here  and  always  a  heroic  figure? 
Read  Hughes,  "The  Manliness  of  Christ,"  and  Seeley, 
"Ecce  Homo,"  and  then  turn  for  one  minute  only,  not 
more,  to  poor  Nietzsche  and  his  doctrine  and  all  that  flows 
from  it. 

3.  Was  not  this  the  one  time  in  history  when  it  might 
have  been  right  to  fight?  If  it  was  wrong  then,  under 
what  circumstances  could  the  example  or  teaching  of  Christ 
ever  sanction  it? 


Ch.  XVIII.  12-27  VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  167 

b.  The  double  trial,    xviii,  12-xix,  16 
(i)  The  ecclesiastical  trial,    xviii,,  12-27 

^  12  So  the  band  and  the  chief  captain,  and  the  offl- 
^-^  cers  of  the  Jews,  seized  Jesus  and  bound  him.  13  and 
led  him  to  Annas  first;  for  he  was  father  inlaw  to  Caiaphas, 
who  was  high  priest  that  year.  14  Now  Caiaphas  was  he 
that  gave  counsel  to  the  Jews,  that  it  was  expedient  that 
one  man  should  die  for  the  people. 

^  15  And  Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus,  and  so  did 
^-^  another  disciple.  Now  that  disciple  was  known  unto 
the  high  priest,  and  entered  in  with  Jesus  into  the  court 
of  the  high  priest:  16  but  Peter  was  standing  at  the  door 
without.  So  the  other  disciple,  who  was  known  unto  tiie 
high  priest,  went  out  and  spake  unto  her  that  kept  the 
door,  and  brought  in  Peter.  17  The  maid  therefore  that 
kept  the  door  saith  unto  Peter,  Art  thou  also  one  of  this 
man's  disciples?  He  saith,  I  am  not.  18  Now  the  ser- 
vants and  the  ofiicers  were  standing  theref  having  made  a 
fire  of  coals ;  for  it  was  cold ;  and  they  were  v/arming  them- 
selves: and  Peter  also  was  with  them,  standing  and  warm- 
ing himself. 

^  19  The  high  priest  therefore  asked  Jesus  of  his  dis- 
^^  ciples,  and  of  his  teaching.  20  Jesus  answered  him, 
I  have  spoken  openly  to  the  world;  I  ever  taught  in  syn- 
agogues, and  in  the  temple,  where  all  the  Jews  come  to- 
gether: and  in  secret  spake  I  nothing.  21  Why  askest 
Siou  me?  ask  them  that  have  heard  me,  what  I  spake  imto 
them:  behold  these  know  the  things  which  I  said.  22 
And  when  he  had  said  this,  one  of  the  ofiicers  standing  by 
struck  Jesus  with  his  hand,  saying,  Answerest  thou  the 
high  priest  so?  23  Jesus  answered  him.  If  I  have  spoken 
evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil:  but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou 
me?  24  Annas  therefore  sent  him  bound  imto  Caiaphas 
the  high  priest. 

O)  25  Now  Simon  Peter  was  standing  and  warming 
^^  himself.  They  said  therefore  unto  him.  Art  thou 
also  one  of  his  disciples?  He  denied,  and  said,  I  am  not. 
26  One  of  the  servants  of  the  high  priest,  being  a  kinsman 
of  him  whose  ear  Peter  cut  ofll;,  saith.  Did  not  I  see  thee  in 
the  garden  with  him?  27  Peter  therefore  denied  again: 
and  straightway  the  cock  crew. 


168  THE  CONSUMMATION    Gh.  XVIII.  12-27 

xviii,  12-14,  19-24.  After  the  betrayal  and  arrest 
comes  the  account  of  the  double  trial;  first,  xviii,  12-27, 
the  ecclesiastical  trial,  and  then  in  xviii,  28  to  xix,  16, 
the  civil  trial.  The  ecclesiastical  trial  began  before  Annas, 
who  was  the  father-in-law  of  Caiaphas,  the  high  priest, 
at  the  headquarters  of  Annas'  party.  This  was  illegal — 
as  though  the  trial  of  some  reformer  in  New  York  City 
should  be  begun  in  Tammany  Hall.  Caiaphas  himself 
took  the  lead  in  this  examination,  the  object  of  which 
was  to  extort  material  for  the  fuller  and  formal  accusa- 
tion afterwards.  Jesus  was  asked  about  His  teaching 
and  about  His  disciples.  He  ignored  the  question  about 
His  disciples,  and  as  to  His  teaching  reminded  them  that 
He  had  always  spoken  openly.  Why  did  they  ask  Him? 
The  accusers  must  establish  their  charge  independently. 
Standing  around  were  those  who  had  heard  Him;  let 
them  testify.  His  position  was  perfectly  proper.  The 
answer  was  a  blow.  Jesus  at  once  challenged  His  smiter 
to  testify  as  one  who  had  heard  Him.  Evidence,  not 
violence,  was  wanted.  Here  was  a  true  comment  on 
Matt.  V,  39.  This  examination  of  Jesus,  as  Westcott 
points  out,  was  wholly  irregular  and  unjust  according  to 
the  Jewish  tradition  for  the  trial  of  cases.  According 
to  law: 

(i)  A  false  prophet  could  be  tried  only  by  the  great  Sanhedrin, 
or  Assembly  of  71.  (2)  The  witnesses  were  strictly  and  sep- 
arately examined,  in  all  cases,  and  the  agreement  of  two  held 
to  be  valid.  (3)  In  capital  cases  witnesses  must  be  especially 
charged  as  to  consequences  of  their  testimony,  and  cautioned 
as  to  peril  of  destroying  life,  and  were  warned  not  to  say  any- 
thing from  conjecture  or  hearsay.  (4)  In  capital  cases,  all  was 
arranged  to  give  the  accused  the  benefit  of  the  doubt,  and  so 
the  votes  for  acquittal  were  taken  first.  (5)  In  capital  cases 
the  trial  could  only  take  place  by  day,  and  while  an  acquittal 
might  be  pronounced  on  the  day  of  trial,  a  sentence  of  con- 
demnation could  not  be  given  till  the  next  day.  Hence,  such 
cases  could  not  be  tried  on  the  eve  of  a  Sabbath  or  a  Feast. 
(6)  Even  on  the  way  to  execution,  opportunity  was  given  to 
the  condemned  four  or  five  times  if  need  be,  to  bring  forward 
fresh  pleas,  and  at  last  he  was  urged  to  confession  that  he  might 
not  be  lost  hereafter.  A  crier  preceded  the  condemned,  saying, 
"A.  B.,  the  son  of  A.  B.,  goes  forth  to  be  stoned  for  such  and 
such  an  offence;   the  witnesses  are  C.  and  D.     If  any  one  can 


Ch.  XVIII.  12-27  VICTORY  OF  UNBELI2?  169 

prove  his  innocence,  let  him  come  forward  and  give  his  reasons." 

(7)  In  cases  of  blasphemy  the  witnesses  were  rigorously  exam- 
ined as  to  the  exact  language  used  by  the  accused.  If  their 
evidence  was  definite,  the  judges  stood  and  rent  their  garments. 

(8)  The  blasphemer  was  to  be  stoned.  After  stoning  he  was 
to  be  hung  from  a  gibbet  and  taken  down  before  night  and 
buried  in  a  common  grave  prepared  for  the  purpose. 

After  this  iniquitous  examination  by  Annas  at  night, 
Jesus  was  bound  and  sent  off  to  Caiaphas  as  high  priest. 

xviii,  15-18,  25-27.  After  first  running  away,  some  of 
the  disciples  had  come  back.  Matt,  xxvi,  56,  58.  Peter, 
and  doubtless  John,  went  in  with  Jesus  to  Annas'  apart- 
ments in  the  court  of  the  high  priest.  After  they  had 
entered  John  pressed  on  back  to  Jesus,  while  Peter  remained 
in  the  indifferent  crowd.  If  men  want  to  be  near  Jesus, 
let  them  go  as  near  as  possible.  That  is  the  only  safe  place. 
In  the  crowd  Peter's  trial  comes.  Jesus  was  not  the 
only  one  tried  that  night,  {v.  17.)  ''Art  thou  like  thy 
friend  John,  one  of  this  man's  disciples?"  It  was  easy 
to  answer  "No."  Fall  one  {v.  25).  Before  the  fire 
his  features  became  revealed.  Perhaps  they  showed  his 
love  for  Jesus.  It  would  be  good  to  think  that  it  was 
his  love  for  Jesus  which  identified  him.  "Can  it  be," 
someone  asked,  "that  thou  art  one  of  His  disciples?" 
"I  am  not."  Fall  two  (v.  26).  "But  I  saw  you,  did  I 
not?"  asked  a  kinsman  of  the  man  whose  ear  Peter  had 
cut  off.  "No,"  said  Peter.  Fall  three.  John  and  Luke 
do  not  insert  the  aggravation  of  the  denials.  Matt, 
xxvi,  70,  72,  74.  Mark  xiv,  71.  Jesus,  who  had  now 
passed  by,  turned  back  and  looked  at  Peter.    Luke  xxii,  61. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Have  you  ever  contrasted  our  Lord's  bearing  at 
His  trial  with  Paul's  when  he  appeared  before  the  high 
priest?    Acts  xxiii,  i-io. 

2.  On  what  other  occasions  did  Jesus  involve  His  enemies 
in  difficulty  by  the  statement  of  a  dilemma? 

3.  Why  did  Peter  deny  Jesus? 

4.  What  do  you  think  of  the  idea  that  has  been 
advanced  that  the  last  chapter  was  added  to  the  Gospel, 


170  THE  CONSUMMATION      Ch.  XVIH.  28-32 

in  part  at  least,  to  atone  for  the  unfavorable  impression 
left  on  the  mind  here  with  regard  to  Peter?  Do  you  deem 
this  wholly  fanciful? 

(2)  The  civil  trial,    xviii,  28-xix,  16 

(^  28  They  led  Jesus  therefore  from  Caiaphas  into  the 
^^  PrsBtorium:  and  it  was  early;  and  they  themselves 
entered  not  into  the  Praetorium,  that  they  might  not  be 
defiled,  but  might  eat  the  passover.  29  Pilate  therefore 
went  out  unto  them,  and  saith.  What  accusation  bring 
ye  against  this  man?  30  They  answered  and  said  unto 
him.  If  this  man  were  not  an  evil-doer,  we  should  not  have 
delivered  him  up  unto  thee.  31  Pilate  therefore  said  unto 
them.  Take  him  yourselves,  and  judge  him  according  to 
your  law.  The  Jews  said  unto  him.  It  is  not  lawful  for 
us  to  put  any^man  to  death:  32  that  the  word  of  Jesus 
might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  signifying  by  what 
manner  of  death  he  should  die. 

John  probably  saw  all  of  the  trial  before  Pilate.  His 
Gospel  tells  us  most  about  it.  There  was  probably  no 
reason  for  one's  not  entering  and  witnessing  it,  save  the 
reason  given  in  v.  28,  and  that  would  not  deter  John. 
After  the  midnight  examination  came  the  trial  early  in 
the  morning  before  Caiaphas.  John  assumes  that  we 
know  about  this,  and  he  records  the  ensuing  trial  before 
Pilate.  The  scene  moved  to  and  fro,  from  the  court 
without  where  the  Jews  stayed  so  as  not  to  be  defiled 
by  entering  a  house  from  which  all  leaven  had  not  been 
removed,  to  the  palace  within,  where  Jesus  had  been  taken. 
These  are  the  scenes: 

Scene  i.  Without  the  Pretorium.    xviii,  28-31. 

Scene  2.  Within  the  Pretorium.     xviii,  33-37. 

Scene  3.  Without  the  Pretorium.     xviii,  38-40. 

Scene  4.  Within  the  Pretorium.     xix,  1-3. 

Scene  5.  Without  the  Pretorium.     xix,  4-7. 

Scene  6.  Within  the  Pretorium.     xix,  8-1 1. 

Scene  7.  Without  the  Pretorium.    xix,  12-16. 

In  Scene  I  Pilate  demanded  the  charge.  The  Jews 
were  unprepared  for  this  and  did  not  dare  to  give  the  ground 
on  which  their  sentence  of  death  rested.  Pilate  told  them 
to  go  ahead  then.     If  they  wanted  to  act  on  their  own 


Ch.  XVIII.  33-38  VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  171 

judgment,  let  them  act  on  their  own  responsibility.  The 
Jews  said  that  they  could  not.  The  Roman  laws  forbade. 
Perhaps  it  was  now  that  they  made  the  false  charge  of 
treason.    Luke  xxiii,  2. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  accusation  did  the  Jews  bring  against  Jesus? 
Why  really  did  they  want  Him  crucified? 

2.  Were  not  the  Pharisees  and  the  priests  actually 
the  best  and  most  earnest  men  in  the  nation?  How 
did  they  bring  themselves  to  such  a  course  of  action  with 
regard  to  Jesus? 

3.  Were  the  enemies  of  Jesus  sincere?  Is  sincerity  a 
sufficient  justification  of  wrong  action?  If  it  is,  how 
can  war  be  condemned?  Could  a  whole  nation  be  dragged 
into  the  sacrifices  of  an  insincere  war? 

(g^  33  Pilate  therefore  entered  again  into  the  Praetorium, 
^^  and  called  Jesus,  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  the  King 
of  the  Jews?  34  Jesus  answered,  Sayest  thou  this  of 
thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  concerning  me?  35  Pilate 
answered.  Am  I  a  Jew?  Thine  own  nation  and  the  chief 
priests  delivered  thee  unto  me:  what  hast  thou  done? 
36  Jesus  answered.  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world:  if 
my  kingdom  were  of  tiiis  world,  then  would  my  servants 
fight,  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews?  but  now 
is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence.  37  Pilate  therefore  said 
unto  him.  Art  thou  a  king  then?  Jesus  answered.  Thou 
sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To  this  end  have  I  been  bom, 
and  to  this  end  am  I  come  into  the  world,  that  I  should 
bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth 
heareth  my  voice.    38  Pilate  saith  unto  him,  What  is  truth? 

Scene  II.  Pilate  went  in  and  asked  Jesus,  "Art  Thou, 
poor,  bound,  weary,  the  King  of  the  Jews?"  Jesus  an- 
swered with  words  designed  to  open  Pilate's  conscience 
(v.  34),  but  Pilate  contemptuously  expressed  his  indifference 
to  the  affairs  of  the  Jews,  but  expressed,  also,  his  interest 
in  Jesus:  "Naturally,"  his  words  imply,  "your  people 
would  have  followed  you.  They  follow  everyone  who 
asserts  their  national  liberties.  What  have  you  done  to 
turn  them  into  your  enemies?"  Jesus  indicates  in  reply 
the  real  ground  of  their  enmity  to  Him  and  also  the  kind 


172  THE  CONSUMMATION    Ch.  XVIII.  33-38 

of  King  that  He  is.  "So  then,"  answers  Pilate  with  a 
touch  of  irony,  "Thou,  poor  prisoner,  art  a  King ! "  "Yes," 
said  Jesus,  leaving  the  matter  where  Pilate  did;  but  He 
proceeds  to  declare  His  right  to  sovereignty  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  sovereignty  He  claims  {v.  37).  "What's 
truth?"  answers  Pilate.  "An  unnattainable  thing." 
But  he  saw  that  Jesus  was  no  political  intriguer  and, 
breaking  off,  he  went  back  to  the  crowd.  Perhaps  it 
was  now  that  Jesus  was  sent  off  to  Herod.    Luke  xxiii,  6. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Did  Jesus  claim  to  be  a  King?  If  so,  what  was 
His  idea  of  a  King? 

2.  Where  is  His  Kingdom?    What  is  it? 

3.  How  would  you  answer  Pilate's  question?  "What 
is  truth?" 

4.  Is  it  not  a  miracle  that  Jesus  had  not  by  this  time 
given  up  His  mission  in  despair?  How  could  such  a  world 
as  this  into  which  He  had  come  and  such  men  as  these 
were  be  saved?  How  could  He  still  believe  that  they 
were  worth  saving? 

"I  have  often  wondered  if  Jesus  Christ  ever  felt  for 
a  moment  that  his  task  was  hopeless.  It  must  have  been 
a  great  shock  to  Him  and  a  great  sorrow  to  meet  and 
uncover  the  sin,  hypocrisy,  greed,  and  littleness  of  man. 
If  ever  there  was  reason  for  loss  of  faith  in  one's  mission 
He  had  it.  The  complacent  snobbery  of  the  self-encircled 
Pharisees,  the  greed  of  the  buyers  and  sellers  in  the  very 
courts  of  the  temple  of  God,  the  ambitions  of  the  disciples, 
the  cowardice  of  Pilate,  the  jealous  envy  of  the  priests — 
these  might  easily  have  made  Him  lose  all  hope  that 
the  thing  He  had  come  to  do  could  ever  be  done.  Any 
one  of  them  might  have  made  Him  ask,  'What  can  I 
hope  to  accomplish  with  men  and  motives  like  these? ' 

"But  there  is  no  hint  of  such  a  spirit  in  any  one  of 
the  words  that  He  spoke,  the  lessons  He  taught,  the  stories 
He  told.  Looking  into  hard,  shrewd,  faces  He  said, 
'Do  unto  others  as  you  would  that  they  should  do  unto 
you.'  In  the  presence  of  evil  and  sin  He  said,  'Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God.'  Walking 
with  disciples  quarreling  over  precedence  in  the  hoped-for 


Ch.  XVIII.  38-40   VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  173 

kingdom,  He  commanded,  'Love  one  another,'  and  hurled 
into  their  consciousness,  'the  last  shall  be  first,  the  first 
shall  be  last.'  Facing  the  rich  young  ruler,  wrapped 
in  his  great  possessions,  He  pleaded,  'Go  and  sell  and 
come  and  follow.'  Looking  over  a  group  of  self-seekers 
He  declared,  'He  that  saveth  his  life  shall  lose  it.' 

"Alone  in  a  world  that  could  not  understand,  was  too 
busy  to  hsten,  and  too  selfish  to  obey.  He  stated  cour- 
ageously, 'The  Kingdom  of  God  is  Hke  a  mustard  seed, 
smallest  of  all  seeds,  yet  when  it  is  grown  it  covereth 
the  earth  and  the  birds  lodge  in  its  branches;'  and  again, 
'The  Kingdom  of  God  is  like  unto  leaven  which  a  woman 
hid  in  three  measures  of  meal  and  the  whole  was  leavened.' 
Triumphantly  from  the  crushing  agony  of  the  cross  He  told 
the  world  that  the  end  for  which  He  came  was  accom- 
plished and  after  His  great  victory,  surrounded  by  a 
group  of  provincial  Jews  who  had  failed  Him  in  the  hour 
of  His  need.  He  commanded  with  confidence,  'Go  ye 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  this  Gospel.' 

"No  wonder  men  worship  Him!  In  the  presence  of 
words  like  these  one  dares  tell  his  own  heart  and  his 
neighbors  that,  confident  of  final  victory,  he  may  look 
at  the  problems  vexing  the  souls  and  wearing  the  bodies 
of  men,  and  to  the  fullest  extent  of  the  power  of  One,  may 
in  His  name  take  them  all  upon  himself.  In  His  name 
and  under  the  inspiration  of  His  power,  remembering 
what  men  have  done  and  are  doing,  one  dares  call  upon 
the  Church — not  the  cold  marble,  the  brick  and  wood, 
the  tall  towers  and  spires;  not  the  creeds  of  words  which 
men  have  put  together  as  best  they  may;  not  the  eccle- 
siastical governments  by  which  affairs  are  managed,  but 
upon  the  warm,  living,  flesh-and-blood  individuals  that 
make  up  the  whole.  One  dares  call  upon  them  to  plunge 
down  where  greed  and  sin  run  riot  and  to  reach  out  where 
heroic  souls  struggle  with  circumstance,  taking  it  all, 
without  fear,  upon  themselves." — Margaret  Slattery,  "  He 
Took  it  upon  Himself." 

(s^  38  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  went  out  again 
^^^  unto  the  Jews,  and  saith  unto  them,  I  find  no  crime 
in  him.  39  But  ye  have  a  custom,  that  I  should  release 
unto  you  one  at  the  passover:  will  ye  therefore  that  I  release 
unto  you  the  King  of  the  Jews?    40  They  cried  out  there- 


174  THE  CONSUMMATION  Ch.  XIX.  1-3 

fore   again,   saying,   Not  this  man,   but  Barabbas.    Now 
Barabbas  was  a  robber. 

Scene  III.  Pilate  saw  that  Jesus  was  the  victim  of 
a  small  party.  Matt,  xxvii;  18.  So  he  went  out  and 
appealed  to  the  crowd,  not  setting  aside  the  Sanhedrin 
sentence,  but  trying  to  set  Jesus  free  by  the  custom  of 
release  at  this  time.  Mark  xv,  8,  shows  that  this  demand 
for  release  came  from  the  people,  some  of  whom — or  His 
Sanhedrin  friends — may  have  hoped  to  get  Jesus  released 
in  this  way.  Barabbas,  a  noted  felon,  was  offered  as 
the  other  choice,  Matt,  xxvii,  17,  and  there  was  a  division 
for  a  moment,  Mark  xv,  11.  The  high  priests  prevailed, 
and  Pilate  released  a  man  guilty  of  the  crime' of  which 
Christ  was  accused  and  innocent. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  it  not  significant  that  the  traitor  who  betrayed 
Jesus,  Matt,  xxvii,  3-5,  the  judge  who  sentenced  Him, 
John,  xviii,  38,  and  the  soldiers  who  executed  Him,  Luke 
xxiii,  47.  all  declared  Him  innocent? 

2.  What  is  to  be  thought  of  a  Judge  who  acquits  a  pris- 
oner, and  then  instead  of  discharging  him,  deliberately 
sacrifices  him  to  a  mob? 

3.  What  was  Pilate's  motive  in  v.  39?  Matt,  xxvii,  18, 
Luke  xxiii,  20.    Does  a  good  motive  palliate  a  bad  deed? 

®1  Q  Then  Pilate  therefore  took  Jesus,  and  scourged 
^*^  him.  2  And  the  soldiers  platted  a  crown  of 
thorns,  and  put  it  on  his  head,  and  arrayed  him  in  a  purple 
garment;  3  and  they  came  unto  him,  and  said.  Hail,  King 
of  the  Jews?  and  they  struck  him  with  their  hands. 

Scene  IV.  Having  humored  the  people  by  the  release 
of  Barabbas,  Luke  xxiii,  22,  Pilate  hoped  by  the  scourging 
to  satisfy  the  Jews.  This  was  the  only  scourging,  but 
Jesus  was  mocked  by  the  soldiers  both  before  and  after 
His  condemnation.  Pilate  had  no  right  to  scourge  Jesus. 
He  had  not  yet  been  condemned,  and  scourging  was  part 
of  a  capital  sentence.  In  the  scourging  the  condemned 
person  was  stripped  naked,  fastened  to  a  low  pillar  or 
stake,  and  then  scourged  on  all  sides,  either  with  Uctor's 


Ch.  XIX.  4-7        VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  175 

rods  or  with  scourges  called  scorpions.  Then  the  soldiers 
made  a  thorn  crown  as  a  sneering  sign  of  royalty  and 
victory  and  a  purple  robe,  the  dress  of  a  kingly  conqueror, 
and  came  up  to  Him  in  lines  of  subjects  oflfering  sub- 
mission, and  smote  Him  on  the  face  with  their  hands. 
How  pitiful  human  nature  must  have  seemed  to  Jesus! 
This  was  the  nature  He  had  taken  upon  Himself  and 
come  to  save.  What  a  shameful  thing  it  was!  And  what 
a  Saviour  He  was  that  He  should  endure  its  disgrace! 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  the  doctrine  of  passive  submission  which  was 
illustrated  in  the  life  of  Christ  valid  for  us?  Was  or 
was  not  Jesus  an  example  for  all  men  in  this? 

2.  What  is  the  explanation  of  cruelty? 

3.  Was  all  this  vividly  conscious  to  Jesus  as  a  physical 
experience,  or  was  He  lifted  above  all  these  horrors  and 
shames  and  held  in  peace  and  rapture  in  God?  What 
might  have  been  His  thoughts,  if  it  is  not  irreverent  for 
us  to  ask  His  Spirit  in  our  hearts? 

(s4S  4  And  Pilate  went  out  again,  and  saith  unto  them, 
^-^  Behold  I  bring  him  out  to  you,  that  ye  may  know  that 
I  find  no  crime  in  him.  5  Jesus  therefore  came  out,  wear- 
ing the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  purple  garment.  And 
Pilate  saith  unto  them,  Behold,  the  man!  6  When  there- 
fore the  chief  priests  and  the  officers  saw  him,  they  cried 
out,  saying.  Crucify  him,  crucify  hitnl  Pilate  saith  unto 
them.  Take  him  yourselves,  and  crucify  him:  for  I  find 
no  crime  in  him.  7  The  Jews  answered  him.  We  have 
a  law,  and  by  that  law  he  ought  to  die,  because  he  made 
himself  the  Son  of  God. 

Scene  V.  Pilate  came  out  and  announced  Jesus'  inno- 
cence. What  right  had  he  then  to  scourge  Him?  Then 
Jesus  came  out  wearing  the  crown  and  robe,  and  Pilate 
pointed  to  Him.  "Behold  the  man!  What  harm  can 
there  be  in  Him?  Let  Him  go,  the  humiliated,  meek- 
spirited,  harmless  creature."  The  priests  had  not  demanded 
crucifixion  before,  but  now  to  forestall  any  pity  on  the 
part  of  the  crowd,  they  start  the  cry,  "Crucify  Him." 
The  picture  of  Jesus'  humiliation  only  intensified  their 


176  THE  CONSUMMATION        Ch.  XIX.  8-11 

wrath  at  the  idea  of  His  messiahship.  Pilate  began  to 
argue.  The  crowd  saw  that  they  were  prevaiHng  over 
him.  When  a  man  in  authority  stoops  to  argue  with 
suppHants,  he  confesses  weakness,  and  the  suppHants 
will  grow  bold.  "Crucify!"  said  the  cowardly  Pilate, 
"Come,  take  Him  and  crucify  Him,  and  shoulder  the 
responsibility.  I  find  Him  innocent."  The  Jews,  waxing 
bold,  took  up  the  challenge.  "You  throw  the  responsi- 
bility on  us,  you  weakling,  polytheist.  Well,  we  are  not 
afraid.  We  have  a  law,  and  by  it  He  ought  to  die,  be- 
cause He  made  Himself  Son  of  God."  Those  who  think 
Jesus  claimed  to  be  no  more  than  a  man  forget  that  it 
was  for  His  claim  to  be  Son  of  God  that  the  Jews  sought 
His  crucifixion. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Disctission 

1.  What  was  Pilate's  motive  in  this  move? 

2.  How  can  men  say  that  Jesus  never  made  for  Himself 
the  claim  the  making  of  which,  as  the  record  shows,  was 
the  ground  on  which  Jews  demanded  His  death? 

3.  Was  it  true  that  the  Jews  had  a  law  that  would 
condemn  a  Messiah  claiming  to  be  the  Son  of  God?  Is 
there  such  a  law  in  the  Old  Testament? 

(g^  8  When  Pilate  therefore  heard  this  saying,  he  was 
^-^  the  more  afraid;  9  and  he  entered  into  the  Praeto- 
rium  again,  and  saith  unto  Jesus,  Whence  art  thou?  But 
Jesus  gave  him  no  answer.  10  Pilate  therefore  saith 
unto  him,  Speakest  thou  not  unto  me?  knowest  thou 
not  that  I  have  power  to  release  thee,  and  have  power  to 
crucify  thee?  11  Jesus  answered  him,  Thou  wouldest 
have  no  power  against  me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from 
above:  therefore  he  that  delivered  me  unto  thee  hath 
greater  sin. 

Scene  VI.  Pilate  was  frightened.  The  priests  doubtless 
knew  that  their  declaration  in  v.  7  would  work  on  Pilate's 
superstition.  He  had  been  afraid  before.  He  was  yet 
more  afraid  now.  The  mystery  of  Jesus  frightened  him. 
So  he  took  Jesus  in  again  and  asked  him,  "Who  art  Thou?" 
Jesus  made  no  reply.  His  silence  was  reply  enough.  That 
suggested  that  Pilate  should  think  of  what  He  had  already 


Ch.  XIX.  12-16     VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  177 

told  him.  Jesus  gave  no  information  to  those  who  were 
unwilling  to  use  what  He  had  already  given,  viii,  25;  x,  24, 
25.  He  had  already  spoken  to  Pilate  the  words  inxviii,  36. 
Nothing  more  will  He  say.  Moreover,  this  was  not  a 
matter  of  His  origin.  It  was  a  question  of  simple  justice. 
Pilate  was  amazed  and  demanded,  "Speakest  Thou  not 
to  me  when  I  am  so  evidently  favorable  to  you?  I  have 
final  authority  here  to  release  or  crucify."  Jesus  again — 
the  calmer,  the  more  royal  far  of  the  two — ^points  out  the 
difference  between  spiritual  and  temporal,  theocratic  and 
civil.  Pilate  did  have  the  authority  he  claimed,  but 
only  as  derived  from  God,  Rom.  xiii,  i.  He  was  acting 
within  his  rights  and  duty  if  he  now  judged  justly. 
Pilate  was  guilty  only  as  he  used  his  power  wrongfully. 
The  High  Priest  was  more  guilty — using  a  higher  spiritual 
power,  and  in  transgressing  his  legitimate  sphere  of  action. 
He  had  not  recognized  the  Messiah,  and  he  had  appealed 
to  a  heathen  power  to  execute  an  unjust  sentence  on  Him. 
Pilate  was  the  more  convinced  that  Jesus  was  harmless. 
He  was  a  mysterious  character,  too.  No  wonder  his  wife 
had  had  such  a  dream. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Why  did  it  frighten  Pilate  to  know  that  Jesus  had 
claimed  to  be  the  Son  of  God? 

2.  The  power  to  do  wrong  is  also  the  power  to  do  right. 
It  is  God's  gift  to  men.  The  will  to  do  wrong  is  man's 
affair.  God  gives  men  their  opportunity  and  their  ability. 
Man  is  responsible  for  his  use  of  these.  How  much  more 
than  this  did  Jesus  mean  in  z>.  11? 

3.  What  a  similarity  and  what  a  difference  between 
Pilate's  words  in  v.  10  and  Jesus'  words  in  x,  18! 

^  12  Upon  this  Pilate  sought  to  release  him:  but  the 
^^  Jews  cried  out,  saying,  If  thou  release  this  man,  thou 
art  not  Caesar's  friend:  every  one  that  maketh  himself  a 
king  speaketh  against  Caesar.  13  When  Pilate  therefore 
heard  these  words,  he  brought  Jesus  out,  and  sat  down  on 
the  judgment-seat  at  a  place  called  The  Pavement,  but  in 
Hebrew,  Gabbatha.  14  Now  it  was  the  Preparation  of  the 
passover:  it  was  about  the  sixth  hour.  And  he  saith  unto 
the   Jews,   Behold,   your  King?     15  They   therefore   cried 


178  THE  CONSUMMATION     Ch.  XiX  12-16 

out,  Away  with  him,  away  with  Aim,  crucify  him  I  Pilate 
saith  unto  them,  Shall  I  crucify  your  King?  The  chief 
priests  answered.  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar.  16  Then 
therefore  he  delivered  him  unto  them  to  be  crucified. 

Scene  VII.  Pilate  again  went  out  and  sought  to  release 
Him,  but  he  had  let  the  people  go  too  far.  The  Jews 
cried,  "If  thou  let  this  man  go,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend." 
What  a  cry  for  Jews!  And  notice  that  they  now  abandon 
the  ground  of  condemnation  urged  in  v.  7.  This  present 
charge  was  not  the  cause  of  the  trial  or  condemnation 
before  Caiaphas.  Note  the  changes  in  their  successive 
charges: 

(i)  Evil  doing,  xviii,  30.    Pilate  sneers  at  this. 

(2)  The  sedition  of  the  title  "Kings  of  the  Jews,"  xviii,  33. 
Pilate  refuses  this,    xviii,  39.  ^  ^ 

(3)  Religious  and  capital  offence  against  their  own  law.  Pilate 
becomes  more  reluctant  to  act.    xix,  12. 

(4)  So  lastly  they  drop  all  else  and  appeal  to  Pilate's  fears. 
Acts  xiii,  28.    Luke  xxiii,  24. 

This  settles  Pilate.  He  had  a  record  that  would  not 
bear  scrutiny.  He  wanted  no  attention  attracted  at 
Rome.  So  he  abandons  Jesus,  and  acts  in  doing  so  like 
the  coward  and  weakling  that  he  was.  And  the  Jews 
have  also  descended  to  the  depth,  "No  King  but  Caesar." 
It  had  once  been,  "No  King  but  God."  This  was  the 
end,  and  Pilate  delivered  over  an  uncondemned  man  to 
be  crucified.  Who  was  really  tried?  Not  Jesus.  No, 
it  was  Pilate  and  the  Jews.  We  see  now  that  it  was  their 
trial,  and  it  was  their  condemnation. 

Questiotis  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  How  do  you  analyze  Pilate's  conduct  and  motives 
and  character? 

2.  What  can  equal  wrong-doing  and  injustice  as  a 
disintegrator  of  principles  and  character?  What  would 
the  chief  priests  have  said  a  few  hours  before  if  anyone 
had  told  them  that  that  day  they  would  publicly  renounce 
the  theocracy? 

3.  Whoever  set  out  to  injure  the  innocent  who  was 
lot  himself  injured? 

Read  Stalker,  "The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ." 


Ch.  XIX.  17-22   VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  179 

c.The  end.    xix,  17-42 
(i)  The  crucifixion,     xix,  17-22 

gyS  17  They  took  Jesus  therefore:  and  he  went  out, 
^^  bearing  the  cross  for  himself,  unto  the  place  called 
The  place  of  a  skull,  which  is  called  in  Hebrew  Golgotha: 
18  where  they  crucified  him,  and  with  him  two  others,  on 
either  side  one,  and  Jesus  in  the  midst.  19  And  Pilate 
wrote  a  title  also,  and  put  it  on  the  cross.  And  there  was 
written,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jew?.  20 
This  title  therefore  read  many  of  the  Jews,  for  the  place 
where  Jesus  was  crucified  was  nigh  to  the  city;  and  it  was 
written  in  Hebrew,  and  in  Latin,  and  in  Greek.  21  The 
chief  priests  of  the  Jews  therefore  said  to  Pilate,  Write 
not,  The  King  of  the  Jews;  but,  that  he  said,  I  am  King 
of  the  Jews.  22  Pilate  answered,  What  I  have  written 
I  have  written. 

The  seventeenth  to  forty-second  verses  of  the  chapter 
tell  us  of  the  end;  (i)  the  crucifixion,  17-22;  (2)  the 
bystanders,  23-27;  (3)  the  death,  28-30;  (4)  the  two 
requests,  31-42,  the  request  of  the  Jews,  31-37,  and  the 
request  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  38-42.  Pilate  had  de- 
livered up  Jesus,  and  the  Jews,  who  would  not  receive 
Him  for  life,  received  Him  for  death.  The  deed  of  death 
was  theirs,  Acts  ii,  23,  though  the  Roman  soldiers  did 
the  actual  work.  The  Saviour  held  the  place  of  prominence 
between  the  two  thieves,  who  were  given  Him  as  companions 
in  death.  To  the  inscription  over  the  cross  the  chief 
priests  objected,  but  now  at  last,  like  the  weak  bully 
he  was,  Pilate  was  firm.  When  there  was  no  personal 
danger  he  was  very  courageous.  In  protecting  an  inno- 
cent man  he  had  been  a  coward.  In  taunting  those  to 
whom  he  had  surrendered  he  was  ostentatiously  firm. 
Many  men  are  just  as  Pilate  was — cowards  before  their 
fellows,  tyrants  in  their  homes,  babies  before  their  equals 
and  bullies  before  their  inferiors,  heroes  when  there  is 
no  danger,  and  hirelings  at  the  least  tremor  of  fear. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  was  the  full  inscription  over  the  cross? 

2.  Why  was  it  written  in  these  three  languages? 

3.  What  details  about  our  Lord's  companions  in  death 


180  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XIX.  23-27 

and  what  sayings  of  His  upon  the  cross  are  given  by  the 
other  evangelists? 

4.  What  were  Christ's  sayings  on  the  cross  and  what 
is  the  significance  of  those  recorded  by  John? 

(2)  The  bystanders,    xix,  23-27 

(gg)  23  The  soldiers  therefore,  when  they  had  crucified 
^-^  Jesus,  took  his  garments  and  made  four  parts,  to  every 
soldier  a  part;  and  also  the  coat:  now  the  coat  was  with- 
out seam,  woven  from  the  top  throughout.  24  They  said 
therefore  one  to  another,  Let  us  not  rend  it,  but  cast  lots 
for  it,  whose  it  shall  be:  that  the  scripture  might  be  ful- 
filled, which  saith, 

They  parted  my  garments  among  them, 
And  upon  my  vesture  did  they  cast  lots. 

25~These  things  therefore  the  soldiers  did.  But  there  were 
standing  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  his  mother,  and  his  mother's 
sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas,  and  Mary  Magdalene. 
26  When  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  and  the  disciple 
standing  by  whom  he  loved,  h^  saith  unto  his  mother. 
Woman,  behold,  thy  son  I  27  Then  saith  he  to  the  dis- 
ciple. Behold,  thy  mother  I  And  from  that  hour  the  dis- 
ciple took  her  tmto  his  own  home. 

Among  the  bystanders  were  (i)  the  soldiers,  23,  24. 
They  cast  lots  for  His  tunic  and  His  larger  outer  dress 
or  "coat,"  fulfilling  the  words  of  Psa.  xxii,  18,  and  treating 
Him  as  already  dead;  (2)  His  friends  {w.  25,  27),  a  little 
group,  braver  than  the  rest  who  looked  on  from  afar, 
stand  about  the  cross,  Matt,  xxvii,  55.  Who  were  they? 
Four  women,  Mary  the  Mother  of  Jesus,  Salome  the  mother 
of  John,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleopas  or  Alphaeus,  Matt. 
X,  3;  and  Mary  Magdalene.  From  the  cross  the  Saviour 
stiU  revealed  life's  relationships.  To  Mary  He  said, 
''Behold  thy  son,"  and  to  John,  "Behold  thy  Mother!" 
There  were  four  such  "Beholds"  {w.  5,  14,  26,  27).  Is 
it  not  an  evidence  of  the  fact  that  Jesus  had  no  full  brothers 
and  sisters,  that  Mary  was  committed  to  none  of  them 
but  to  John,  the  brothers  of  Jesus  being  His  half-brothers, 
children  of  Joseph,  but  not  children  of  Mary?  There 
are  various  traditions  of  Mary's  later  life,  (i)  That 
she  lived  in  Jerusalem  with  John  for  eleven  years,  dying 


Ch.  XIX.  28-30   VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  181 

at  the  age  of  59.  (2)  That  she  went  to  Ephesus  with 
John  and  was  buried  there.  What  conversations  there 
must  have  been  between  her  and  John  about  Jesus!  What 
recollections!    What  hopes! 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  How  much  did  Jesus  leave  for  His  executioners  to 
divide?  When  the  trunk  containing  the  property  left  at 
his  death  by  William  C.  Burns,  one  of  the  great  saints 
among  the  missionaries  to  China,  was  opened  in  England, 
there  were  found  a  few  sheets  of  Chinese  printed  matter, 
a  Chinese  and  an  EngUsh  Bible,  an  old  writing  case,  one 
or  two  small  books,  a  Chinese  lantern,  a  single  Chinese 
dress  and  the  blue  flag  of  the  "Gospel  boat."  "Surely," 
whispered  one  little  one  amid  the  awestruck  silence,  "Uncle 
William  must  have  been  very  poor." 

2.  What  do  we  know  authentically  and  apart  from  the 
gloss  of  tradition  with  regard  to  Mary  Magdalene? 

3.  How  do  you  explain  the  fact  that  Joseph  does  not 
appear  in  the  story  of  Jesus'  ministry?  Is  John  vi,  42 
consistent  with  the  idea  that  he  had  died? 

(3)  The  death,     xix,  28-30 

(so)  28  After  this  Jesus,  knowing  that  all  things  are  now 
^-^  finished,  that  the  scripture  might  be  accomplished, 
saith,  I  thirst.  29  There  was  set  there  a  vessel  full  of 
vinegar:  so  they  put  a  sponge  full  of  the  vinegar  upon 
hyssop,  and  brought  it  to  his  mouth.  30  When  Jesus 
therefore  had  received  the  vinegar,  he  said.  It  is  finished: 
and  he  bowed  his  head,  and  gave  up  his  spirit. 

John  says  nothing  of  the  three  hours  of  darkness 
which  preceded  His  death,  Matt,  xxvii,  45.  He  does 
comment  on  the  significance  of  the  word  of  Jesus  at  the 
end  of  the  darkness,  "I  thirst."  John  points  out  the 
correspondence  between  this  and  the  divine  foreshadowing 
in  Psa.  Ixix,  21.  "So  the  Scripture  was  fulfilled."  The 
ideal  of  prophecy  was  made  perfect,  wholly  completed 
and  realized  in  Him.  His  work  was  (Completed.  This 
work  was  the  burden  of  Scripture,  and  so  having  per- 
feci^ed  His  work,   the   Scripture  was   perfected.     "That 


182  THE  CONSUMMATION      Ch.  XIX.  31-37 

it  might  be  fulfilled,"  the  phrase  so  often  occurring  of 
Old  Testament  sayings  in  the  life  of  Christ  does  not 
mean  that  Jesus  did  such  and  such  things  simply  to  fulfil 
the  Old  Testament  word.  The  fulfilling  was  the  effect, 
not  the  aim  of  what  He  did.  He  was  the  Messiah.  There- 
fore, what  He  was  and  did  answered  to  the  Old  Testament 
foreshadowings  and  perfected  them.  Now  He  drank 
what  was  offered.  Earlier  in  the  day  the  soldiers  had 
offered  Him  a  stupefying  potion  to  ease  His  pain,  Matt, 
xxvii,  34.  This  He  tasted  and  refused.  But  now  some- 
one, perhaps  a  soldier,  out  of  compassion,  took  a  sponge 
and  filled  it  with  vinegar  and  held  it  up  to  Him  on  the 
long  stem  of  the  caper  plant,  and  Jesus  took  it  and  went 
home. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  death  of  Christ?  Read 
Denney,  "The  Death  of  Christ." 

2.  What  was  finished  when  Jesus  died? 

3.  What  is  it  to  die?  What  is  the  meaning  of  the 
phrase  "gave  up  His  spirit"?  Who  gave  it?  What 
did  He  give?    Did  the  Spirit  give  itself?    To  Whom? 

(4)  The  two  requests,    xix,  31-42 

(a)  The  Jews,     xix,  31-37 

(g^  31  The  Jews  therefore,  because  it  was  the  Preparation, 
^-^  that  the  bodies  should  not  remain  on  the  cross  upon  the 
sabbath  (for  the  day  of  that  sabbath  was  a  high  day),  asked 
of  Pilate  that  their  legs  might  be  broken,  and  that  they 
might  be  taken  away.  32  The  soldiers  therefore  came, 
and  brake  the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  that  was 
crucified  with  him:  33  but  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  and 
saw  that  he  was  dead  already,  they  brake  not  his  legs: 
34  howbeit  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his  side, 
and  straightway  there  came  out  blood  and  water.  35  And 
he  that  hath  seen  hath  borne  witness,  and  his  witness  is 
true:  and  he  knoweth  that  he  saith  true,  that  ye  also  may 
believe.  36  For  these  things  came  to  pass,  that  the  scrip- 
ture might  be  fulfilled,  A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken. 
37  And  again  another  scripture  saith.  They  shall  look  on 
him  whom  they  pierced. 


Ch.  XIX.  38-42    VICTORY  OF  UNBELIEF  183 

The  Jews  were  anxious  to  get  the  bodies  out  of  the 
way  before  night,  the  next  day  being  the  first  day  of 
unleavened  bread,  so  they  besought  Pilate  to  have  the 
legs  broken  to  hasten  death.  What  a  noble  piety  this 
was!  So  scrupulous  as  to  wish  to  have  the  bodies  out 
of  the  way  before  the  day  of  unleavened  bread!  So 
unscrupulous  as  to  be  willing  to  effect  the  end  by  cruelty 
and  murder!  Pilate  acceded  to  this  request,  but  Jesus 
was  already  dead.  The  soldiers  made,  however,  a  deep 
gash  in  his  side  and  out  gushed  "the  water  and  the 
blood."  John  saw  this  and  regarded  it  as  convincing 
evidence  of  the  Messiahship.  For  in  all  these  things  the 
symbolism  of  the  law  (Ex.  xii,  46;  Num.  ix,  12;  Psa. 
xxxiv,  20)  was  fulfilled  in  Jesus,  including  the  great  marks 
of  all  great  prophetic  messengers,  the  sacrifice  of  the 
innocent,  the  judgment  of  those  who  see  too  late.  Many 
of  the  old  commentators  find  deep  meaning  in  the  water 
and  the  blood.  Origen  sees  in  it  evidence  of  the  fact 
that  in  death  itself  Christ  had  the  marks  of  the  living. 
"The  blood,"  said  Theophylact,  "is  a  mark  that  the 
crucified  was  man,  but  the  water  that  He  was  more  than 
man,  that  He  was  God."  We  argue  now  in  the  reverse 
direction.  Because  He  was  God,  there  were  wonders. 
In  old  days  men  reasoned,  Because  these  were  wonders. 
He  was  God. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Can  you  think  of  any  instances  of  straining  at  gnats 
and  swallowing  camels  in  the  moral  life  of  our  own  day? 

2.  Does  ecclesiastical  or  sacerdotal  propriety  ever  blind 
us  to  ethical  defect  or  self-deception? 

3.  What  was  the  cause  of  Jesus'  death? 

4.  Can  it  be  gainsaid  that  the  author  of  this  Gospel 
claims  to  have  been  an  eyewitness  of  the  Crucifixion? 

5.  Where  are  these  Scriptures  to  which  John  refers? 
Would  you  have  seen  in  them  what  John  saw? 

(b)  Joseph,    xix,  38-42 

^  38  And  after  these  things  Joseph  of  Arimathaea,  being 
^-^  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews, 
asked  of  PUate  that  he  might  take  away  the  body  of  Jesus: 
and  Pilate  gave  him  leave.    He  came  therefore,  and  took 


184  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XIX.  38-42 

away  his  body.  39  And  there  came  also  Nicodemtis, 
he  who  at  the  first  came  to  him  by  night,  bringing  a  mix- 
ture of  myrrh  and  aloes,  about  a  hundred  pounds.  40  So 
they  took  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  bound  it  in  linen  cloths 
with  the  spices,  as  the  custom  of  the  Jews  is  to  bury.  41 
Now  in  the  place  where  he  was  crucified  there  was  a  garden; 
and  in  the  garden  a  new  tomb  wherein  was  never  man  yet 
laid.  42  There  then  because  of  the  Jews'  Preparation 
(for  the  tomb  was  nigh  at  hand)  they  laid  Jesus. 

The  Jews  hated  and  sought  to  mutilate  Jesus.  Joseph 
loved  and  sought  to  preserve  Him.  Now  that  He  was 
gone  secret  love  begins  to  emerge.  Why  had  it  not  emerged 
before?  At  a  gathering  in  memory  of  a  man  who  had 
died  a  number  of  eulogies  were  pronounced  and  men 
spoke  out  of  their  love  for  the  one  who  had  gone.  When 
it  was  over  the  widow  said  gently,  knowing  how  lonely 
and  unappreciated  he  had  felt,  "Oh,  gentlemen,  why  did 
you  not  tell  him  while  he  lived?"  This  Joseph  was  a 
rich  man,  Matt,  xxvii,  57,  an  honorable  councillor,  Mark 
XV,  43,  a  good  and  just  man,  Luke  xxiii,  50.  He  had 
not  consented  to  Jesus'  death.  Now  he  came  boldly 
to  Pilate.  The  Jews  were  not  there  and  Pilate  gave  him 
the  body.  Emboldened,  perhaps,  by  Joseph's  courage, 
now  came  Nicodemus  also.  Not  now  by  night,  not  now 
with  timidity  easily  silenced,  John  iii,  3;  vii,  50.  He 
brought  a  great  and  costly  quantity  of  myrrh  and  aloes; 
enough  to  cover  the  whole  body;  and  the  two  men  who 
had  given  Jesus  no  service  while  He  lived  buiied  Him 
with  tenderest  love  in  a  temporary  grave  belonging  to 
Joseph,  near  at  hand,  intending  to  remove  Him  later 
after  the  Passover. 

Qjiestions  for  Reflection  and  Diseussion 

1.  Why  is  secret  discipleship  not  enough? 

2.  Where  were  the  apostles?  Why  did  Joseph  and 
Nicodemus  and  not  the  apostles  have  to  provide  for  Jesus? 
Was  it  because  the  Apostles,  in  addition  to  being  poor 
men,  were  from  a  distance  and  would  not  have  any  place 
in  Jerusalem  wherein  they  could  bury  their  Master's  body? 

3.  Was  it  safe  for  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  to  do  for 
the  dead  what  they  could  not  do  safely  for  the  living? 
Or  were  the  men  made  brave  and  true  by  Jesus'  death? 


Ch.  XX.  i-io        DEFEAT  OF  UNBELIEF  185 


2.  Its  defeat  in  Christ's  resurrection.     The  new  life,   xx 

a.  The  facts  satisfying  Peter  and  John,    xx,  i-io 

(52)  90  Now  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  cometh  Mary 
O*  ^v  Magdalene  early,  while  it  was  yet  dark,  unto  the 
tomb,  and  seeth  the  stone  taken  away  from  the  tomb.  2 
She  runneth  therefore,  and  cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and 
to  the  other  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  saith  unto 
them.  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  tomb, 
and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him.  3  Peter 
tiierefore  went  forth,  and  the  other  disciple,  and  they  went 
toward  the  tomb.  4  And  they  ran  both  together:  and 
the  other  disciple  outran  Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  tomb; 
5  and  stooping  and  looking  in,  he  seeth  the  linen  cloths 
lying;  yet  entered  he  not  in.  6  Simon  Peter  therefore 
also  cometh,  following  him,  and  entered  into  the  tomb; 
and  he  beholdeth  the  linen  cloths  lying,  7  and  the  napkin, 
that  was  upon  his  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen  cloths, 
but  rolled  up  in  a  place  by  itself.  8  Then  entered  in  there- 
fore the  other  disciple  also,  who  came  first  to  the  tomb, 
and  he  saw,  and  believed.  9  For  as  yet  they  knew  not  the 
scripture,  that  he  must  rise  again  from  the  dead.  10  So 
the  disciples  went  away  again  unto  their  own  home. 

And  now  unbelief  had  done  its  worst  and  triumphed, — 
but  not  for  long.  The  little  band  of  disciples,  themselves 
shaken  to  the  foundations  by  what  had  happened,  were  now 
to  see  the  utter  defeat  of  hate  and  unbelief  in  the  Resurrec- 
tion. John  does  not  attempt  to  tell  the  whole  story.  He 
selects  only  those  aspects  of  it  most  likely  to  produce  faith 
and  to  convey  the  spiritual  truths  which  it  was  His  desire 
to  teach.  He  reveals  the  passage  from  sight  to  faith 
in  four  typical  cases,  John,  Mary,  the  disciples,  and 
Thomas.  I.  In  John  himself,  who  believed  without  the 
sight  of  the  risen  Lord.  On  Mary's  report  he  and  Peter 
ran  to  the  sepulchre.  As  the  younger  man  he  distanced 
Peter,  but  as  the  less  aggressive  man  he  did  not  press 
into  the  tomb,  but  merely  looked  in  from  without.  Peter 
pressed  in  and  John  followed.  To  their  amazement  the 
clothes  which  had  been  about  the  body  of  Jesus  lay  just 
as  though  they  contained  the  body,  but  there  was  no 
body  in  them  and  the  empty  napkin  retained  the  shape 
of  the  head.     Plainly,  there  had  been  a  miracle,  for  the 


186  THE  CONSUMMATION         Ch.  XX.  i-io 

wrappings  were  undisturbed,  but  the  body  had  vanished 
from  them.  And  John  saw  this  and  beHeved.  Why, 
he  wondered  now,  had  he  never  understood  before? 

"It  is  said  such  a  fact  would  overthrow  the  laws  of 
nature.  But  what  if  it  were  on  the  contrary,  the  law  of 
nature,  when  thoroughly  understood  which  required  this 
fact?  Death  is  the  wages  of  sin.  If  Jesus  Uved  here  below 
as  innocent  and  pure,  if  He  lived  in  God  and  of  God  as  He 
Himself  says  in  John  vi,  57,  Ufe  must  be  the  crown  of  this 
unique  conqueror.  No  doubt  He  may  have  given  Himself 
up  voluntarily  to  death  to  fulfil  the  law  which  condemns 
sinful  humanity,  but  might  not  this  state  of  death,  affecting 
a  nature  perfectly  sound  morally  and  physically,  meet 
in  it  exceptional  forces  capable  of  reacting  victoriously 
against  all  the  powers  of  dissolution?  As  necessarily 
as  a  life  of  sin  ends  in  death,  so  necessarily  does  perfect 
holiness  end  in  life,  and  consequently,  if  there  has  been 
death,  in  the  resurrection.  Natural  law  far  from  being 
contrary  to  this  fact  is  the  thing  which  requires  it." — Godet. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Had  not  Jesus  given  the  disciples  sufficient  intimation 
of  the  resurrection  to  prepare  them  for  it?  If  they 
failed  in  this  as  in  so  much  else  to  understand  His  teaching, 
if,  as  history  shows,  they  only  understood  the  Gospel 
in  the  light  of  the  resurrection  and  by  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  a  supernatural  spiritual  experience,  what 
becomes  of  the  idea  that  Jesus  was  only  a  teacher  and 
that  what  He  said  was  the  Gospel?  Would  what  He 
said  ever  have  been  remembered  unless  He  had  done  what 
He  did,  and  especially  unless  He  had  risen  from  the  dead? 

2.  Why  did  not  John  go  in  before  Peter?  Read  Bush- 
nell's  sermon  on  "Unconscious  Influence"  in  "Sermons 
for  the  New  Life." 

3.  "So  the  disciples  went  away  again  unto  their  own 
home."     Where  better? 

4.  What  was  it  that  so  completely  convinced  John? 
And  what  was  the  resurrection? 

"Now  as  to  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  on  the  third  day- 
Did  he  simply  rise  from  the  dead,  as  did  Lazarus  at  His 


Ch.XX.  i-io        DEFEAT  OF  UNBELIEF  187 

call?  Was  His  revivification  merely  like  that  of  Lazarus 
and  of  the  son  of  the  widow  of  Nain?  Or  was  He  really 
in  His  rising  the  first-fruits  of  the  resurrection,  in  His 
passing  through  that  change  from  the  natural  to  the 
spiritual  body,  which  all  the  redeemed  shall  pass  through, 
*in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last 
trump'?  What  are  the  Bible  indications  as  to  this? 
No  human  eye  saw  the  rising  of  Jesus  from  the  dead. 
No  hand,  not  even  an  angel's  hand,  rolled  away  the  en- 
trance stone,  before  Jesus  passed  out  from  the  tomb. 
When,  indeed,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  rolled  away  the  stone 
and  sat  upon  it,  it  was  said  that  Jesus  had  already  risen. 
What,  then,  was  His  rising  from  the  dead?  Note  the 
inspired  record. 

"Matthew  says  that  the  angel  said  to  the  women  at 
the  tomb,  'Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay'  (Matt, 
xxviii,  6),  as  if  that  sight  itself  would  be  proof  of  His 
resurrection.  Mark  repeats  this  fact,  that  the  young  man 
angel  said  to  the  women  at  the  empty  tomb,  'Behold, 
the  place  where  they  laid  him!'  (Mark  xvi,  6.)  Luke, 
in  telling  the  story,  says  that  Peter,  looking  into  the 
empty  tomb,  saw  'the  linen  cloths  by  themselves,'  and 
went  away  wondering  (Luke  xxiv,  12).  John  further 
adds  that  Peter  saw  'the  linen  cloths  lying,  and  the 
napkin,  that  was  upon  his  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen 
cloths,  but  rolled  up  in  a  place  (in  its  place)  by  itself.' 
And  John  also,  who  was  with  Peter,  'saw  (this),  and 
believed'  (John  xx,  6-8).  It  is  evident  from  this  fourfold 
specific  record  that  there  was  something  in  the  sight  itself 
that  was  a  testimony  to  the  Resurrection.  This  sight 
was  not  merely  a  blank,  an  absence  of  the  body.  What 
was  it? 

"Jesus'  natural  body  had  been  changed  to  a  spiritual 
body;  His  mortal  body  had  put  on  immortality;  that 
which  was  sown  in  humiliation  had  been  raised  in  glory. 
Therefore  the  changed  body  had  come  from  the  linen 
enwrappings  of  the  body  taken  down  from  the  cross,  leaving 
those  cerements  as  the  transfigured  butterfly  leaves  the 
chrysalis.  Thus  those  linen  enwrappings  were  of  them- 
selves irresistible  evidence  and  proof  of  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus.  As  no  human  power  could  arrange  them,  there 
they  lay,  no  fold  disturbed,  those  of  the  body  in  their 


188  THE  CONSUMMATION         Ch.XX.i-io 

place,  that  of  the  face  and  head,  the  napkin  by  itself. 
What  wonder  that  the  angel  called  attention  to  this  great 
proof  of  the  resurrection!  What  wonder  that  Peter  and 
others  saw  and  beheved!  And,  as  from  the  Scriptures  we 
understand,  Jesus  did  not  merely  rise  up  from  the  dead, 
as  others  before  had  risen  up  from  the  dead,  but  was 
'the  first-fruits  of  the  resurrection'  harvest,  and,  'in  a 
moment,  in  the  twinkhng  of  an  eye,'  he  was  changed, 
so  His  loved  ones  are  to  be  changed  in  the  resurrection. 

"Had  Jesus  risen  up  in  His  natural  body,  He  could 
at  once  have  been  recognized  by  His  loved  ones  who  had 
known  Him  in  the  years  gone  by.  But  from  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, who  thought  He  was  a  gardener,  to  the  disciples 
with  whom  He  walked  on  the  way  to  Emmaus,  those 
who  so  well  knew  His  natural  form  and  face  seemed  to 
have  doubts  as  to  His  identity.  His  spiritual  body  was 
no  longer  subject  to  the  conditions  of  His  natural  body. 
He  passed  out  from  the  stone-enlocked  tomb.  He  entered 
the  room  where  His  disciples  were  behind  closed  doors. 
His  every  move  gave  added  proof  of  His  changed  body  in 
His  resurrection. 

"Of  course,  when  Jesus  would  prove  His  identity  to 
His  disciples  who  doubted,  He  would  be  ready  to  show 
His  nail-pierced  hands  and  feet,  or  His  spear-pierced 
side,  as  evidence  to  their  human  senses,  but  this  was  a 
purposeful  departure  from  His  now  normal  state.  He 
thus  adapted  Himself  to  the  limitations  and  questionings 
of  those  still  in  the  flesh.  He  thus  convinced  them  that 
He  was  not  a  mere  apparition,  a  'ghost.'  If  one  of  our 
dear  ones  in  the  spirit  hfe  were  permitted  to-day  to  come 
again  to  us  here  on  earth,  that  spirit  would  have  to  be 
known  to  us  by  some  sign  or  appearance  familiar  to  our 
human  senses;  but  we  should  not  suppose  from  that  that 
therefore  the  loved  one's  normal  or  ordinary  spiritual 
presence  was  the  same  as  the  former  physical  presence. 

"When  Jesus,  on  the  third  day  after  His  crucifixion, 
rose  from  the  dead,  His  was  not  a  mere  awakening  to, 
and  an  uprising  in,  His  former  natural  body.  If  it  were 
so,  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  could  not  be  to  us  the  assur- 
ance, the  Hfe,  and  the  hope,  that  it  now  is.  But  Jesus 
came  out  of  His  linen  cloth  enwrappings,  and  out  of  His 
sealed   stone   tomb,   in   His   changed   resurrection   body. 


Ch.  XX.  11-18      DEFEAT  OF  UNBELIEF  189 

Of  that  the  disciples  had  evidence  in  the  very  chrysalis 
cloths  themselves,  and  the  whole  narrative  is  in  keeping 
with  this  assurance.  How  many  have  erred  in  the  reading 
of  the  Bible  record  as  to  this!  Let  us  not  come  short  of 
our  hope  and  faith,  as  we  are  entitled  to  have  them  con- 
firmed by  this  record." — H.  Clay  Trumbull^  "Our  Mis- 
understood Bible." 

h.  The  revelation  to  personal  love.    Mary,  xx,  11-18 

^  "  But  Mary  v/as  standing  without  at  the  tomb  weep- 
^^  ing:  so,  as  she  wept,  she  stooped  and  looked  into  the 
tomb;  12  and  she  beholdeth  two  angels  in  white  sitting, 
one  at  the  head,  and  one  at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of 
Jesus  had  lain.  13  And  they  say  unto  her.  Woman,  why 
weepest  thou?  She  saith  unto  them.  Because  they  have 
taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid 
him.  14  When  she  had  thus  said,  she  turned  herself 
back,  and  beholdeth  Jesus  standing,  and  knew  not  that 
it  was  Jesus.  15  Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Woman,  why 
weepest  thou?  whom  seekest  thou?  She,  supposing 
him  to^be  the  gardener,  saith  unto  him.  Sir,  if  thou  hast 
borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him,  and 
I  will  take  him  away.  16  Jesus  saith  imto  her,  Mary. 
She  tumeth  herself,  and  saith  unto  him  in  Hebrew,  Rab- 
boni;  which  is  to  say.  Teacher.  17  Jesus  saith  to  her, 
Touch  me  not;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  unto  the  Father: 
but  go  unto  my  brethren,  and  say  to  them,  I  ascend  unto 
my  Father  and  your  Father,  and  my  God  and  your  God. 
18  Mary  Magdalene  cometh  and  telleth  the  disciples,  I 
have  seen  the  Lord;  and  that  he  had  said  these  things  unto 
her. 

II.  The  revelation  to  personal  love  to  Mary.  This 
was  the  risen  Lord's  first  appearance.  John,  we  are 
sure,  was  at  home  telling  Jesus'  mother  what  he  had  seen. 
Peter,  doubtless,  had  gone  to  his  home,  and  then  off  to 
find  Joseph  and  Nicodemus,  but  Mary,  who  had  returned 
to  the  tomb  after  their  departure,  waited.  "A  stronger 
affection,"  says  Augustine,  "riveted  to  the  spot  a  weaker 
nature."  But  like  John  she  did  not  go  in,  and  she  had 
not  observed  the  facts  that  carried  conviction  to  John's 
heart.  But  her  love  saw  what  John  and  Peter  failed 
to  see, — the  angels  at  the  head  and  feet  of  the  place  where 
Jesus  had  lain.     "Why  weepest  thou?"  they  asked.    "For 


190  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XX.  19-23 

my  Lord,"  was  Mary's  reply.  "I  know  not  where  they 
have  laid  Him."  Then,  as  she  turned,  she  saw  a  man 
and  thought  it  was  a  gardener.  We  see  what  we  can 
see.  Mary  needed  to  come  into  spiritual  harmony  with 
Jesus  in  order  to  recognize  Him.  Would  we  know  Him 
from  a  carpenter  if  He  came  back  now?  But  this  gardener 
knew  her  sorrow.  He  asks  not  about  "What,"  but 
"Whom  seekest  thou?"  So  they  talked,  but  when  He 
spoke  her  name  "Mary,"  then  she  knew.  But  she  knew 
only  that  she  had  the  old  Jesus  back  again  and  that  was 
not  enough,  and  Jesus  gently  lifts  her  thought  from  the 
conception  of  His  earthly  presence  to  that  of  His  heavenly 
relationship.  And  His  relationship  was  the  hope  of  hers. 
His  Lord  and  Father  were  now  hers.  He  came,  then, 
to  give  us  His  own  inheritance.    Is  it  ours? 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Who  actually  saw  Jesus  first  after  His  resurrection? 
Who  was  the  first  believer  in  the  resurrection? 

2.  What  convinced  Mary?    How  did  she  recognize  Jesus? 

3.  Was  something  more  than  physical  sight  necessary 
to  the  identification  of  the  risen  Christ?  How  many  who 
knew  Him  well  failed  to  recognize  Him  when  they  saw 
Him  and  in  some  cases  even  talked  with  Him  after  His 
resurrection? 

4.  In  what  sense  may  God  be  our  God  and  Father  as 
He  was  Christ's? 

c.  The  revelation  to  the  fear-filled  disciples,    xx,  19-23 

^  19  When  therefore  it  was  evening,  on  that  day,  the 
^-^  first  day  of  the  week,  and  when  the  doors  were  shut 
where  the  disciples  were,  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  Jesus  came 
and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  bt 
imto  you.  20  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  showed  un- 
to tiiem  his  hands  and  his  side.  The  disciples  therefore 
were  glad,  when  they  saw  the  Lord.  21  Jesus  therefore 
said  to  them  again.  Peace  be  unto  you:  as  tiie  Father  hath 
sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you.  22  And  when  he  had  said 
this,  he  breathed  on  them,  and  saith  imto  them,  Receive 
ye  ttie  Holy  Spirit:  23  whose  soever  sins  ye  forgive,  they 
are  forgiven  unto  them;  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain,  they 
are  retained. 


Ch.  XX.  19-23      DEFEAT  OF  UNBELIEF  191 

III.  The  revelation  to  the  fear-filled  disciples.  On 
that  memorable  first  Lord's  day,  in  the  evening  about 
eight  o'clock,  perhaps  in  the  upper  room  of  the  supper, 
perhaps  in  Mark's  mother's  house,  where  the  disciples, 
except  Thomas,  were  gathered  in  distress  and  uncertainty 
and  fear,  Jesus  appeared.  Perhaps  the  news  of  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  body  from  the  tomb  had  spread  over 
Jerusalem,  and  the  disciples  may  have  been  fearing  a 
fierce  attack  from  the  Jews  aroused  by  the  charge  that 
the  disciples  had  carried  off  the  body.  Jesus  came  sud- 
denly and  at  once  answered  and  pacified  their  thoughts 
of  distress.  Luke  xxiv,  37.  Then  he  showed  them 
hands  and  side,  and  Luke  adds,  His  feet.  The  increduHty 
of  hope  burst  soon  into  conviction  and  joy,  and  to  their 
assured  hearts  He  gave  His  commission,  *'As  my  Father 
hath  sent  Me,  so  send  I  you."  Have  we  gone?  "The 
Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war."  How  does  He  go?  Who 
follows  in  His  train?  Then  He  breathed  on  them,  Gen. 
ii,  7;  John  iii,  8;  and  said,  "Take  ye  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Now.  Before  Pentecost  this  was.  Take.  Man  has  an 
active  part.  He  takes  hfe,  John  x,  17;  xii,  48.  And 
Christ  gave  them  this  charge  specifically  to  free  men 
from  sin,  and  they  accepted  it  in  the  strength  of  the 
resurrection.  The  Church  and  her  mission  of  deliver- 
ance and  redemption  was  born  now.  Without  the  resur- 
rection it  would  not  have  been.  Strauss  declares  this: 
"Without  the  faith  of  the  apostles  in  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus,  the  Church  would  never  have  been  born." 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  This  was  the  first  Christian  Sabbath.  How  different 
that  evening  with  its  fear  and  suspense  from  our  Sunday 
evenings.  Read  some  of  our  evening  hymns  and  realize 
how  Christ's  resurrection  has  transformed  the  world. 

2.  "That  day."  What  other  memorable  days  are  so 
designated  by  John?  i,  39;  v,  9;  xi,  53;  xix,  27,  31; 
xxi,  3. 

3.  May  we  really  believe  i;.  21?  Cf.  xvii,  18.  But  note 
in  V.  21,  that  in  Greek  the  words  translated  "sent"  and 
"send"  are  two  different  words.  The  first  word  implies 
an  embassy,  the  second  an  errand  assigned  to  attaches 


192  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XX.  24-29 

of  the  embassy;  Heb.  iii,  1-5.  That  is  the  mission. 
We  are  agents  of  that  mission. 

d.  The  revelation  to  Thomas,     xx,  24-29 

(o^  24  But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus, 
^^  was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  came.  25  The  other 
disciples  therefore  said  unto  him.  We  have  seen  the  Lord. 
But  he  said  unto  them.  Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands 
the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of 
the  nails,  and  put  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  beHeve. 

26  And  after  eight  days  again  his  disciples  were  within, 
and  Thomas  with  tiiem,  Jesus  cometh,  the  doors  being  shut, 
and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  said,  Peace  be  unto  you.  27 
Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and 
see  my  hands;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  put  it  into 
my  side:  and  be  not  faithless,  but  beUeving.  28  Thomas 
answered  and  said  unto  him.  My  Lord  and  my  God.  29 
Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast 
believed:  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet 
have  believed. 

IV.  The  revelation  to  Thomas.  Thomas  had  been 
absent  on  the  evening  of  the  Lord's  day.  Had  he  been 
waiting  somewhere  in  solitude  for  some  light  on  the  mystery 
of  Jesus?  The  other  disciples  eagerly  reported  to  him 
what  they  had  seen.  But  Thomas  was  sure  they  had 
been  deceived.  He  is  amazed  that  they  had  not  put 
the  vision  to  a  real  test.  He  will  never  believe  until  he 
has  done  so.  He  will  not  trust  his  eyes.  He  must  feel 
Him.  He  was  allowed  to  wait  for  eight  days.  Jesus  had 
told  the  disciples  to  go  to  Galilee  to  meet  Him.  They 
had  not  yet  gone.  *'Are  we  not  allowed  to  suppose," 
says  Godet,  "that  what  detained  them  was  the  fear  of 
abandoning  Thomas  and  of  losing  him  if  they  left  him 
behind  in  the  condition  of  mind  in  which  he  was?"  On 
this  eighth  day  after  the  resurrection  the  disciples  were 
altogether.  No  *'fear  of  the  Jews"  is  mentioned  now. 
They  had  a  new  courage  now.  Thomas  was  with  them. 
They  counted  him  one  of  them  and  he  counted  himself 
still  a  disciple.  Again  Jesus  came,  soothed  their  unrest 
and  then  turned  to  Thomas  and  used  his  very  words, 
"Make  your  test,  Thomas,"  He  said,  "and  be  not  faith- 
less."   But  Thomas  was  satisfied.    The  Lord  was  there 


Ch.  XX.  24-29       DEFEAT  OF  UNBELIEF  193 

over  against  his  Spirit.  The  mere  physical  evidence 
proving  that  the  body  of  Jesus  had  risen  was  passed  by 
in  Thomas'  glad  acknowledgment  that  the  Saviour  Him- 
self, the  Divine  One,  was  there. 

"Thou  shalt  know  Him  when  He  comes, 
Not  by  any  din  of  drums, 
Nor  the  vantage  of  His  airs. 
Nor  by  anything  He  wears, 
Neither  by  His  crown. 
Nor  His  gown. 

But  His  presence  known  shall  be 
By  the  holy  harmony 
Which  His  coming  makes  in  thee." 

And  Thomas  knew  and  confessed.  The  typical  doubter 
rose  to  the  highest  faith  recorded  in  the  Gospels.  And 
Jesus  accepted  the  confession  and  added  a  new  beatitude 
upon  all  those  who  without  sight  or  material  evidence  had 
vision  to  discern  that  He  was  God. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Why  is  such  a  miracle  as  the  resurrection  more 
wonderful  than  the  miracles  which  preceded  it?  "There 
are  three  miracles  in  the  development  of  nature,  i.  The 
appearance  of  matter.  2.  The  appearance  of  life  in  matter. 
3.  The  appearance  of  the  conscious  and  free  will  in  the 
domain  of  life.  There  are  three  decisive  miracles  in  the 
history  of  our  Lord.  i.  His  coming  in  the  flesh  or  His 
entrance  into  material  existence.  2.  The  realization  of 
life,  of  holy  communion  with  God  in  this  corporeal  exist- 
ence. 3.  The  elevation  of  this  life  to  the  liberty  of  the 
divine  life  by  the  resurrection  and  ascension." — Godet. 

2.  Is  it  not  easy  to  imagine  Thomas'  shame  as  his 
coarse  words  were  repeated? 

3.  Does  Jesus  mean  to  imply  that  belief  is  a  matter 
not  of  opinion,  but  of  character,  of  personal  attitude  and 
being?  He  does  not  say  "believe."  He  says,  "Be 
believing."  "By  this  expression  Jesus  makes  him  feel 
in  what  a  critical  position  he  actually  is,  at  this  point 
where  the  two  routes  separate,  that  of  decided  unbelief 
and  that  of  perfect  faith.  A  single  point  of  truth,  a  single 
fact   of   the   history  of  salvation   which  one  obstinately 


194  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XX.  30, 31 

refuses  to  accept  may  become  the  starting  point  for  com- 
plete unbelief,  as  also  the  victory  gained  over  unbelief 
with  regard  to  this  single  point  may  lead  to  perfect  faith." — 
Godet.  This  is  true,  because  faith  is  a  matter  not  so  much 
of  the  argumentative  mind  as  of  the  believing  heart.  But 
it  is  to  be  rational  and  reasoned  faith,  too. 

The  close  of  the  story  and  John's  explanation  of  his  purpose. 
XX,  30,  31 

®30  Many  other  signs  therefore  did  Jesus  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this  book: 
31  but  these  are  written,  that  ye  may  believe  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God;  and  that  believing  ye  may 
have  life  in  his  name. 

This  is  the  close  of  the  story  and  gives  John's  clear 
explanation  of  his  purpose.  Many  other  signs,  he  says, 
as  one  would  expect,  Jesus  wrought  in  the  presence  of  His 
disciples.  John  had  been  a  witness  of  these.  But  he 
had  made  no  attempt  to  write  them  all  down.  He  had 
simply  picked  out  typical  signs  which  proved  his  thesis 
that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  which  in 
his  judgment  should  suffice  to  produce  that  faith  in  men, 
and  not  faith,  only,  but  life  by  faith.  For  life  is  the 
end.  The  Tiame  of  Christ,  i.e.,  the  perfect  revelation 
which  Jesus  had  given  of  Himself  by  manifesting  Himself 
as  Christ  and  as  Son  of  God,  was  the  one  spring  of  life. 
It  is  in  that  name,  in  the  offered  Christ,  in  the  great  God 
Himself  come  near  in  Christ,  not  in  words  or  thoughts 
about  Him,  that  men  have  life.  To  a  world  of  doubt 
and  unbeUef  God  came,  and  whoso  received  Him  had 
life.     That  is  the  cry  of  our  hearts  still. 

"Oh,  let  me  live  in  Thy  realities. 
Nor  substitute  my  notions  for  Thy  facts, 
Notion  with  notion  making  leagues  and  pacts. 
They  are  to  truth  as  dream  deeds  are  to  acts, 
And  questioned  make  me  doubt  of  everything. 
*0  Lord,  my  God,'  my  soul  gets  up  and  cries, 
'Come  Thy  own  self,  and  with  Thee  my  faith  bring.'  " 

— George  Macdonald. 

"The  demand  of  an  undogmatic  Christianity  is  a  mis- 
take;   and  so  is  the  assertion  that  the  independence  of 


Ch.XX.  30,3i       DEFEAT  OF  UNBELIEF  195 

religion  is  best  to  be  effected  by  leaving  other  spheres 
of  intellectual  effort  to  themselves.  The  old  Greeks 
were,  then,  wholly  right  in  giving  expression  to  the  essence 
and  kernel  of  the  Christian  religion;  belief  in  God  and 
in  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God." — Harnack. 

"In  appealing  to  faith  we  are  not  appealing  to  any- 
thing that  takes  the  place  of  reason,  and  still  less  to  any- 
thing hostile  to  it,  but  to  that  which  perfects  it  and  per- 
fects it  by  making  it  practically  efficacious.  It  is  that 
we  must  emphasize  again  at  the  close,  the  conviction  with 
which  we  started;  viz.,  that  philosophy  is  practical. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  when  all  has  been  said, 
all  has  been  done;  on  the  contrary  the  difficult  task  of 
translating  thought  into  feelings,  of  giving  effect  to  the 
conclusions  of  reason,  and  of  really  incorporating  them 
with  our  being,  still  remains.  And  it  is  this  incompleteness 
of  men's  thoughts  which  theology  recognizes  when  it  leaves 
us  with  an  alternative  (i.e.,  of  pessimism  as  vs.  faith).  This 
guards  us  against  the  delusion  that  intellectual  assent  is 
sufficient  for  life.  Because  philosophy  is  practical,  mere 
demonstration  does  not  suffice;  to  understand  a  proof 
is  not  to  believe  it.  And  in  order  to  live  rightly,  we  must 
not  only  assent  that  such  and  such  principles  are  con- 
clusively proved,  but  must  also  believe  them.  But  belief 
is  not  solely,  nor  perhaps  even  predominantly,  a  matter 
of  reason.  It  is  a  complicated  state  of  mind  into  which 
there  enters  a  large  element  of  will  and  a  considerable 
element  of  time  and  training.  We  cannot  believe  unless 
we  will  and  we  cannot  believe  new  truth  until  the  mind 
has  been  long  habituated  to  it.  And  it  is  to  effect  this 
transformation  into  belief  that  speculative  philosophy  in 
the  end  requires  the  stimulus  of  fear  and  the  help  of  faith. 
For  it  is  keenly  conscious  that  without  faith  knowledge 
edifies  not,  and  that  the  Temple  of  Truth  is  up-reared 
in  vain  if  worshippers  cannot  be  found  to  enter  it." — Schiller. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Has  John  succeeded  in  his  purpose?  Has  he  helped 
us  to  believe  or  to  believe  more  surely  that  Jesus  is  the 
Son  of  God? 

2.  That  mea  might  have  life  was  John's  supreme  desire. 


196  THE  CONSUMMATION       Ch.  XX.  30, 31 

I  John  V.  It  was  to  be  found,  in  his  belief,  only  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  i.e.,  in  "the  perfect  revelation  which  Jesus 
has  given  of  Himself  by  manifesting  Himself  as  Christ  and 
as  Son  of  God."  Life  lies  in  the  knowledge  of  a  history 
and  belief  in  a  historic  person.  Is  this  not  the  fact?  Do 
we  not  see  it  to  be  a  fact  in  history  and  in  life  to-day? 
Is  not  I  John,  v,  12  true? 

3.  If  God  truly  is,  does  not  John's  record  prove  itself? 
If  John's  record  is  true,  then  is  not  God  truly  all  and  more 
than  all  that  we  have  hoped? 


THE  EPILOGUE,    xxi 


The  revelation  to  the  fishennen.    xxi,  1-14. 
The  work  of  Peter,    xxi,  15-19. 
The  work  of  John,    xxi,  20-23. 
The  conclusion,    xxi,  24,  25. 


"If  I  live  yet,  it  is  for  good,  more  love 
Through  me  to  men:  be  nought  but  ashes  here 
That  keep  awhile  my  semblance,  who  was  John, — 
Still,  when  they  scatter,  there  is  left  on  earth 
No  one  alive  who  knew  (consider  this!) 
— Saw  with  his  eyes  and  handled  with  his  hands 
That  which  was  from  the  first,  the  Word  of  Life. 
How  will  it  be  when  none  more  saith,  *I  saw'? 

"To  me,  that  story — ay,  that  Life  and  Death 
Of  which  I  wrote  'it  was' — to  me,  it  is; 
— Is,  here  and  now:  I  apprehend  nought  else. 

"What  do  I  hear  say,  or  conceive  men  say, 
'Was  John  at  all,  and  did  he  say  he  saw? 
Assure  us,  ere  we  ask  what  he  might  see!' 

"  Such  is  the  burden  of  the  latest  time. 
I  have  survived  to  hear  it  with  my  ears. 
Answer  it  with  my  lips:  does  this  sufl&ce? 
For  if  there  be  a  further  woe  than  such. 
Wherein  my  brothers  struggling  need  a  hand. 
So  long  as  any  pulse  is  left  in  mine. 
May  I  be  absent  even  longer  yet. 
Plucking  the  blind  ones  back  from  the  abyss, 
Though  I  should  tarry  a  new  hundred  years!" 

Browning,  "A  Death  in  the  Desert. 


Ch.  XXI.  1-14  THE  EPILOGUE  199 


THE  EPILOGUE,    xxi 

/qt)  91  After  these  things  Jesus  manifested  himself 
^^  ^^  again  to  the  disciples  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias;  and 
he  manifested  himself  on  this  wise.  2  There  were  together 
Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didymus,  and  Nathanael 
of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two  other 
of  his  disciples.  3  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  them,  I  go  a 
fishing.  They  say  imto  him,  We  also  come  with  thee. 
They  went  forth,  and  entered  into  the  boat;  and  that  night 
they  took  nothing.  4  But  when  day  was  now  breaking, 
Jesus  stood  on  the  beach;  yet  the  disciples  know  not  that 
it  was  Jesus.  5  Jesus  therefore  saith  unto  them.  Children, 
have  ye  aught  to  eat?  They  answered  him,  No.  6  And 
he  said  unto  them,  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the 
boat,  and  ye  shall  find.  They  cast  therefore,  and  now  they 
were  not  able  to  draw  it  for  the  multitude  of  fishes.  7 
That  disciple  therefore  whom  Jesus  loved  saith  imto  Peter, 
It  is  the  Lord.  So  when  Simon  Peter  heard  that  it  was 
the  Lord,  he  girt  his  coat  about  him  (for  he  was  naked), 
and  cast  himself  into  the  sea.  8  But  the  other  disciples 
came  in  the  little  boat  (for  they  were  not  far  from  the  land, 
but  about  two  himdred  cubits  off),  dragging  the  net  full 
of  fishes.  9  So  when  they  got  out  upon  the  land,  they 
see  a  fire  of  coals  there,  and  fish  laid  tiiereon,  and  bread. 
10  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye  have 
now  taken.  11  Simon  Peter  therefore  went  up,  and  drew 
the  net  to  land,  full  of  great  fishes,  a  hundred  and  fifty  and 
three;  and  for  all  there  were  so  many,  the  net  was  not 
rent.  12  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Come  and  break  your 
fast.  And  none  of  the  disciples  durst  inquire  of  him.  Who 
art  thou?  knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord.  13  Jesus  Com- 
eth, and  taketh  the  bread,  and  giveth  them,  and  the  fish 
likewise.  14  This  is  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus  was 
manifested  to  the  disciples,  after  that  he  was  risen  from  the 
dead. 

This  chapter  was  evidently  added  after  the  Gospel 
had  been  completed,  and  it  was  added  for  a  purpose.  The 
Gospel  was  written  to  produce  or  strengthen  faith,  but 
this  chapter  was  added  to  correct  a  mistake.  A  perver- 
sion of  Christ's  words  about  John's  future  had  gone  abroad 
and  John  writes  this  chapter  to  give  the  true  account. 
There  are  three  sections  in  the  chapter.    The  first  re- 


200  THE  EPILOGUE  Ch.  XXI.  1-14 

lates  to  the  Lord  and  seven  of  the  disciples.  They  were 
back  in  Galilee  in  the  old  haunts.  Five  of  the  disciples 
were  there  who  came  all  from  the  same  neighborhood. 
Who  were  the  two  others?  Were  they  Andrew  and  Philip, 
or  two  disciples  not  of  the  apostles'  company?  Under 
Simon  Peter's  blunt  leadership  they  had  gone  fishing. 
When  in  the  morning  Jesus  appeared  to  them,  only  one 
recognized  Him,  and  he  did  not  at  first.  How  many  of 
us  would  recognize  Him  if  He  should  come  back  now? 
We  can  easily  test  ourselves  by  recalling  Matt,  xxv,  31-46. 
But  if  Peter  was  not  first  to  recognize  Him,  he*. was  first 
to  reach  Him.  John  had  distanced  him  on  the  way  to 
the  sepulchre,  but  not  on  the  way  to  the  shore  this  morning. 
Whether  our  minds  are  quick  or  slow,  our  hearts  can  be 
prompt  to  find  Jesus,  wheresoever  He  may  be. 

It  is  worth  while  pausing  to  observe  the  fanciful  ways 
in  which  old  writers  speculated  as  to  the  meaning  of  the 
number  of  fishes.  Jerome  says  that  there  were  153  kinds 
of  fish,  and  that  one  of  each  kind  was  taken  to  show  the 
universaHty  of  the  apostoHc  work.  Cyril  of  Alexandria 
says  that  100  represents  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  and 
50,  which  is  one-half  of  100,  and  an  imperfect  number, 
the  remnant  of  Israel,  and  three  the  Trinity.  Augustine 
says  10  is  the  number  of  the  Law  and  seven  the  number 
of  the  Spirit,  or  seventeen  in  all,  and  that  the  sum  of 
the  numbers  from  one  to  seventeen  is  153,  which  repre- 
sents all  the  saved.  Also,  3  is  the  symbol  of  the  Trinity; 
50  is  7 X  7+ 1  =  unity  of  the  Spirit;  3 X  50+3  =  all  the  saved. 
Rupert  of  Deutz  says  100  represents  the  married  people, 
50  the  widowed  or  continent,  and  3  the  virgins.  Bruno 
Astersig  says  3  has  the  same  significance  as  150,  =  3X50. 
The  parts  of  the  world  are  3,  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa. 
Therefore  150+3  =  all  the  faithful  in  the  world.  Will  not 
our  descendants  find  as  great  absurdities  in  some  of  our 
cherished  views,  and  ought  not  this  thought  to  make  us 
modest? 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  How  many  different  people  saw  Jesus  after  His 
resurrection? 

2.  Who  were  the  "two  other  of  His  disciples"? 


Ch.  XXI.  1-14  THE  EPILOGUE  201 

3.  Do  you  know  the  interpretation  of  this  scene  in  the 
verses  called  "Simon  Stone"? 

Simon  Stone,  he  spied  a  boat, 

"Oh,  here  is  a  boat!"  cried  Simon  Stone, 

"I've  a  mind  to  try  if  this  boat  will  float, 
I'll  fish  a  spell,  if  I  go  alone." 

"Oh  no,"  said  the  rest,  "we  are  going  too;" 
"Then  jump  aboard,"  said  Simon  Stone; 

They  sprang  to  the  boat,  a  happy  crew. 
Wouldn't  you  like  to  have  counted  one? 

They  rowed  and  they  rowed,  they  sailed  and  sailed; 

"Small  luck,  small  luck,"  said  Simon  Stone. 
They  tried  and  tried,  and  they  failed  and  failed, 

Till  they  ached  in  every  muscle  and  bone. 

They  dipped  and  dipped,  and  they  hauled  and  hauled; 

"Not  a  fin  for  our  pains,"  said  Simon  Stone: 
"Hark!"  cried  one,  for  somebody  called, 

"Who  can  be  out  on  the  shore  alone?" 

"Never  mind  who,  pull  away,  pull  away;" 

"Let's  give  it  up,"  said  Simon  Stone: 
"We  have  fished  all  night,  we  may  fish  all  day. 

Let's  quit:  I'm  going  ashore  for  one." 

Then  the  strange  voice  called  from  the  shore  again, 

"Listen!     Listen!"  said  Simon  Stone; 
And  now  in  the  dawn  they  see  Him  plain. 

Walking  along  the  shore  alone. 

"Boys,  have  ye  anything  there  to  eat?*- 
"Not  a  fin  nor  a  scale,"  said  Simon  Stone; 

"Not  a  crumb  of  bread,  not  a  morsel  of  meat, 
"Not  a  thing  to  offer  to  a  hungry  one." 

"Throw  the  net  to  starboard,  and  then  you'll  find," 
Cried  the  voice;  "Let's  do  it,"  said  Simon  Stone; 

So  they  dropped  the  net  with  a  willing  mind; 
"Heave,  ho!    There's  a  haul,"  cried  every  one. 

They  tugged  and  they  hauled,  but  they  hauled  in  vain; 

"Let's  drag  it  ashore,"  said  Simon  Stone; 
So  they  dragged  and  dragged  with  might  and  main; 

"It's  the  Lord,"  spoke  softly  cousin  John. 


202  THE  EPILOGUE  Ch.  XXI.  15-19 

"What !    What !    What ! ' '  cried  the  rest  in  the  boat, 
"What's  that  you  are  saying?"  quoth  Simon  Stone, 

"The  Lord?    Why,  here  then,  give  me  my  coat;" 
In  a  trice  he  had  it,  and  had  it  on. 

"Why,  what  in  the  worid  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"I'm  going  ashore,"  said  Simon  Stone, 
As  he  sprang  without  any  more  ado. 

Overboard  into  the  sea  alone. 

Then  the  rest,  they  looked  and  said  with  a  smile, 
"What  a  man  to  be  sure,  is  Simon  Stone! 

He's  up  to  some  queer  thing  all  the  while;" 
"How  he  loves  the  Lord!"  said  cousin  John. 

Oh,  he  swam  for  life  and  he  swam  for  love. 
Till  he  stood  on  the  shore  with  the  Lord  alone. 

Who  knows,  but  he  and  the  Lord  above, 
How  the  Lord  spake  sweet  to  Simon  Stone? 

Now,  tell  me,  boys,  both  old  and  young, 

Did  you  ever  hear  of  Simon  Stone? 
And  have  you  guessed  the  riddle  I've  sung, 

And  is  it  a  story  you've  always  known? 

Then  tell  me,  if  ever  you  loved  like  him? 

If  ever  you  felt  like  Simon  Stone, 
"Whether  I  run  or  fly  or  swim, 

I  must  have  a  word  with  the  Lord  alone." 

The  work  of  Peter,    xxi,  15-19 

(J^  15  So  when  they  had  broken  their  fast,  Jesus  saith 
^^  to  Simon  Peter,  Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me 
more  than  these?  He  saith  unto  Mm,  Yea,  Lord;  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  unto  him.  Feed  my 
lambs.  16  He  saith  to  him  again  a  second  time,  Simon, 
son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me?  He  saith  unto  him.  Yea, 
Lord;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  unto  him, 
Tend  my  sheep.  17  He  saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Simon, 
soil  of  John,  lovest  thou  me?  Peter  was  grieved  because  he 
said  unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me?  And  he  said 
unto  him,  Lord  thou  knowest  all  things ;  thou  knowest  that  I 
love  thee.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep.  18  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  When  thou  wast  young,  thou  gird- 
edst  thyself,  and  walkedst  whither  thou  woiildest:  but 
when  thou  shalt  be  old,  thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands, 


Ch.  XXI.  1S-19  THE  EPILOGUE  203 

and  another  shall  gird  thee,  and  carry  thee  whither  thou 
wouldest  not.  19  Now  this  he  spake,  signifying  by  what 
manner  of  death  he  should  glorify  God.  And  when  he 
had  spoken  this,  he  saith  unto  him.  Follow  me. 

After  breakfast  Jesus  and  Peter  walked  off  together 
along  the  beach  or  up  to  the  hills.  Peter  had  opened 
his  heart  before  breakfast  and  could  linger  endlessly 
now  with  loving  peace  in  Jesus'  company.  And  Jesus 
said,  "Simon,  Son  of  John."  So  Jesus  ever  called  him; 
never  Peter  save  in  Mark  xvi,  7..  Why  then?  Now  came 
the  three  questions  corresponding  to  the  three  denials, 
(i)  "Lovest  thou  me  more  than  these  other  disciples 
love  me?"  That  had  been  his  boast,  that  he  would  be  the 
last  to  leave  Him,  Others  might  fail  Him,  but  not  he. 
Peter  answers  that  Jesus  knows  that  he  loves  Him.  But 
notice  he  is  done  with  comparisons  and  prideful  boasts. 
He  even  uses,  in  the  Greek,  a  humbler  word  for  love  than 
Jesus  used.  (2)  After  a  pause,  again  "Lovest  thou  me?" 
Jesus  drops  the  remainder  of  the  boastful  comparison,  but 
asks,  "Do  you  love  me?"  Peter  answers  simply  as  before. 
(3)  Then  once  more;  Jesus  takes  up  even  Simon's  weaker 
word  for  love,  "Do  you  love  me  even  with  that  love?" 
Peter  was  grieved  at  the  third  questioning.  How,  then, 
must  his  denials  have  grieved  Jesus?  But  he  appeals 
to  Jesus.  "Oh,  Lord,"  he  seems  to  say,  "do  not  hurt 
me  any  more.  Thou  canst  not  be  deceived.  Thou  knowest 
I  do  love  thee."  And  Jesus  was  content  and  drew  aside 
for  Peter  the  veil  from  the  tragic  years  to  be.  But  it 
was  following  Christ.  That  would  be  enough  to  uphold 
him.     And  his  death  would  glorify  God.     So  all  death  can. 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Where  is  all  the  bravado  of  Matt,  xxvi,  33-35? 

2.  Is  not  love  sometimes  most  loving  when  it  dares 
to  inflict  pain?    v.  17,  "Peter  was  hurt." 

3.  Is  there  any  nobler  and  more  generous  assurance  of 
forgiveness  than  is  shown  in  bestowing  responsibility? 

4.  Whose  work  was  it  that  was  to  be  done,  whose  sheep 
fed?  Simon's  or  Christ's?  "Si  me  diligis,  non  te  parcere 
cogita,  sed  oves  meas  sicut  meas  pasce,  non  sicut  tuas; 


204  THE  EPILOGUE  Ch.  XXI.  20-23 

gloriam  meam  in  eis  quaere,  non  tuam,  dominium  meum 
non  tuum." — Augustine. 

5.  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee."  Study  all  the 
sayings  thus  introduced:  i,  51;  iii,  3,  5,  11;  v,  19,  24,  25; 
vi,  26,  32,  47,  53;  viii,  34,  SI,  58;  X,  i,  7;  xii,  24;  xiii, 
16,  20,  21,  38;  xiv,  12;  xvi,  20,  23;  XXI,  18. 

The  work  of  John,    xxi,  20-23 

(99)  20  Peter,  turning  about,  seeth  the  disciple  whom 
^^  Jesus  loved  following;  who  also  leaned  back  on  his 
breast  at  the  supper,  and  said,  Lord,  who  is  he  that  betray- 
cth  thee?  21  Peter  therefore  seeing  him  saith  to  Jesus, 
Lord,  and  what  shall  this  man  do?  22  Jesus  saith  unto 
him,  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee? 
follow  thou  me.  23  This  saying  therefore  went  forth 
among  the  brethren,  that  that  disciple  should  not  die:  yet 
Jesus  said  not  unto  him,  that  he  should  not  die;  but,  It  I 
will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee? 

John  had  not  been  invited  to  follow,  but  he  knew  Peter 
well  enough  to  rise  and  go  after  him  and  Jesus.  "Follow 
me,"  Jesus  had  just  said  to  Peter.  Perhaps  He  would 
have  gone  on  to  tell  Peter  what  that  meant  in  the  way  of 
present  work  and  duty,  but  Peter  had  ever  been  more 
interested  in  future  destiny  than  in  present  duty,  and  he 
was  anxious  to  know  of  John's  future.  So  he  asked 
Jesus,  "Lord,  and  this  one,  the  boy,  my  friend,  what  of 
him?"  "Each  man,"  was  the  substance  of  Jesus'  reply 
"has  his  own  mission  and  must  be  content  with  it.  Each 
man  and  I  have  the  matter  between  ourselves.  If  I 
will  this  or  that  for  John,  what  is  that  to  thee?  Follow 
thou  me."  That  is  peace  for  us;  our  own  work  as  God's 
will  and  our  eye  to  God  as  King  alone.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  Jesus  said  something  more  than  this.  He  threw 
out  a  word  about  John  which  gave  rise  to  the  idea  that 
John  was  never  to  die,  but  was  to  live  until  the  second 
coming  of  Christ.  John  corrects  this  misconception.  It 
is  clear  from  the  possibility  of  the  misconception  that  the 
early  Christians  did  not  identify  the  second  coming  of 
Christ  with  death,  but  exactly  the  opposite.  Our  lesson 
is  that  God  has  a  place  and  a  mission  for  each  one  of  us, 
that  this  is  the  thing  we  arc  to  do,  without  worry  or  envy. 


Ch.  XXI.  20-23  THE  EPILOGUE  205 

Our  place  is  Christ's  place  for  us — Christ's  place  for  others 
is  His  place  for  them.  Yet  we  are  to  have  no  heedless- 
ness as  to  others.  "Follow  me,"  is  an  appeal  for  sympathy 
with  all  need,  and  for  simplest  and  most  unselfish  service. 
In  this  there  is  peace  and  rest,  for  the  way  we  take  is  not 
of  our  seeking,  but  of  His  assigning. 


Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

1.  Is  there  any  rebuke  of  Peter's  interest  in  John's 
future  implied?  Surely  not.  Only  Peter  was  in  danger 
of  diffuseness,  of  too  much  spreading  out  into  the  ad- 
ministration of  other  people's  lives.  Jesus  recalls  him 
to  his  own  love  and  duty  and  makes  them  plain.  He  had 
shown  himself  poorly  fitted  to  look  after  himself;  let 
him  not  miss  his  own  duty  in  managing  others. 

2.  Does  not  this  passage  prove  conclusively  that  the 
early  Church  understood  that  Christ's  second  coming 
does  not  mean  death?  The  legend  grew  up  that  John 
did  not  die,  but  that  he  slept  in  his  grave  awaiting  Christ's 
coming.  It  was  said  that  the  dust  moved  over  his  grave 
at  Ephesus  with  his  steady  breathing  as  he  slept. 

3.  Are  not  these  the  gracious  lessons  for  us?  (i)  God 
has  a  place  and  a  mission  for  each  of  us.  (2)  This  is  the 
thing  for  us  to  find  and  attend  to.  I  Thess.  iv,  11;  II 
Thess.  iii,  11,  12;  I  Peter  iv,  15.  (3)  Without  worrying 
and  without  criticising. 

"Let  the  thick  curtain  fall, 
I  better  know  than  all 
How  little  I  have  gained, 
How  vast  the  unattained. 

"Others  shall  sing  the  song, 
Others  shall  right  the  wrong, 
Finish  what  I  begin 
And  all  I  fail  of  win. 

"What  matter  I  or  they? 
Mine  or  another's  day, 
So  the  right  word  be  said 
And  life  the  sweeter  made? 


206  THE  EPILOGUE  Ch.  XXI.  24, 15 

"Ring  bells,  in  unreared  steeples, 
The  joy  of  unborn  peoples. 
Sound  trumpets,  far  off  blown, 
Your  triumph  is  my  own." 

—WhUtier. 

(^  24  This  is  the  disciple  that  beareth  witness  of  these 
^-^  things,  and  wrote  these  things:  and  we  know  that 
his  witness  is  time. 

25  And  there  are  also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did, 
the  which  if  they  should  be  written  every  one,  I  suppose 
that  even  the  world  itself  would  not  contain  the  books  that 
should  be  written. 

These  last  two  verses  are  the  Church's  testimony  to 
the  writer  of  the  Gospel  and  the  many  works  of  Jesus. 
Perhaps  the  Ephesian  elders  added  the  24th  verse.  They 
testify  to  their  belief  in  John's  testimony  and  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  production.  John  wrote  it  and  in  John  they 
had  perfect  confidence.  The  last  verse  John  may  have 
added  or  he  may  have  spoken  it,  or  somebody  else  may 
have  added  it,  perhaps  the  Ephesian  elders.  To  make 
a  complete  record  of  the  deeds  of  Jesus,  not  to  speak  His 
words,  would  be  impossible.  The  world  would  not  hold 
the  books.  A  divine  life  would  not  be  put  into  a  human 
record.  How  vain  the  attempt  to  exhaust  it  in  our  defini- 
tions! We  cannot  crowd  the  divine  Christ  into  the  iron 
mould  of  our  notions.  We  cannot  set  limits  to  Him  or  give 
a  full  account  of  God.  The  Gospel  ends  then  with  a 
vivid  illustration  of  John's  great  truth.  The  divine  is 
the  true  life  and  the  true  goal  of  life.  Christ  came  to  break 
open  the  world,  to  show  its  inadequacy  and  insufficiency, 
to  reveal  its  real  end,  to  open  heaven  to  earth  and  God 
to  men.  Has  He  come  for  us  in  vain?  Have  the  words 
of  John  not  wrought  faith  in  us  and  brought  us  to  the 
Fountain  of  Life? 

Questions  for  Reflection  and  Discussion 

I.  Is  John's  report  of  all  that  Jesus  said  verbally  literate, 
or  did  he  record  our  Lord's  sayings  in  the  forms  into  which 
the  Spirit  had  moulded  them  through  John's  long  experience 
and  testimony?  Read  Browning's  "A  Death  in  the 
Desert." 


Ch.  XXI.  24, 25  THE  EPILOGUE  207 

2.  Review  the  witness  which  the  Gospel  records  beside 
John's  own.  (i)  Of  the  Father,  v,  32,  34,  37;  viii,  18. 
(2)  Of  the  Son,  iii,  32;  viii,  14;  xviii,  37,  (x,  4;  I  John  v, 
10).  (3)  Of  His  works,  v,  36;  x,  25;  (4)  Of  the  Scrip- 
ture, v,  39~46.  (5)  Of  John,  the  last  and  great  prophet, 
i,  7;  V,  33,  35.    John's  was  a  sevenfold  testimony. 

That  Jesus  is  Lord,  i,  23. 

That  Jesus  is  the  Lamb  of  God,  i,  29,  36. 

That  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  i,  34. 

That  Jesus  is  the  Bridegroom,  iii,  29. 

That  Jesus  is  above  all,  iii,  31. 

That  all  things  are  given  into  Jesus'  hands,  iii,  35. 

That  faith  in  Jesus  is  essential  to  salvation,  iii,  36. 

Or  did  John  the  evangehst  say  these  last  three  things? 
(6)  Of  the  disciples,  xv,  27;  xix,  35;  xxi,  24.  (7)  Of 
the  Spirit,  the  interpreter,  xv,  26;  xvi,  14;  I  John  v,  6. 

3.  Do  you  believe  that  the  witness  of  the  Gospel  is 
true? 

"There  is  a  remarkable  legend  that  when  the  Lord  gave 
the  Law  from  Sinai  He  wrought  great  marvels  with  His 
voice,  Job  xxxvii,  5.  *  The  voice  sounded  from  the  South 
and  as  the  people  hasted  to  the  South,  lo!  it  sounded  from 
the  North.  They  turned  to  the  North  and  it  came  from 
the  East.  They  turned  to  the  East  and  it  came  from 
the  West.  They  turned  thither  and  it  came  from  heaven. 
They  lifted  up  their  eyes  to  heaven  and  it  came  from 
the  depths  of  the  earth.  And  they  said  one  to  another, 
where  shall  wisdom  be  found?  Job  xxviii,  12.  And  the 
>oice  went  out  throughout  the  world  and  was  divided 
into  seventy  voices,  according  to  the  seventy  tongues 
of  men,  and  each  nation  heard  the  voice  in  its  own  tongue 
and  their  souls  failed  them,  but  Israel  heard  and  suffered 
not.  And  each  one  in  Israel  heard  it  according  to  his 
capacity,  and  men  and  youths  and  boys  and  sucklings 
and  women;  His  voice  was  to  each  one  as  each  one  had 
the  power  to  receive  it.'  The  student  of  St.  John  will 
find  the  parable  fulfilled  as  he  ponders  the  Apostle's  words 
with  growing  experience  and  unchanged  patience.  He 
himself  limits  the  meaning  which  he  finds  in  them." — 
WestcoU. 


208  THE  EPILOGUE  Ch.  XXI.  24, 25 

Did  the  Gospel  John  thus  sets  forth  stand  him  in  good 
stead  until  the  end?  Tradition  tells  us  of  the  years  of 
holy  blessing  he  spent  in  Ephesus  and  of  the  glory  which 
fell  on  them  as  his  sun  sank  slowly  to  its  rest.  True 
and  tender  to  him  as  he  waited  were  all  the  words  we  have 
been  reading  and  they  stayed  him  home. 

"Lay  me  down 
Once  more  upon  my  couch,  and  open  wide  ^ 
The  eastern  window.     See!  there  comes  a  light 
Like  that  which  broke  upon  my  soul  at  even, 
When  in  the  dreary  Isle  of  Patmos,  Gabriel  came 
And  touched  me  on  the  shoulder.     See!  it  grows 
As  when  we  mount  toward  the  pearly  gates. 
I  know  the  way,  I  trod  it  once  before. 
And  hark!  it  is  the  song  the  ransomed  sung, 
Of  glory  to  the  Lamb!    How  loud  it  sounds! 
And  that  unwritten  one!    Methinks  my  soul 
Can  join  it  now.     But  who  are  they  that  crowd 
The  shining  way?    Say,  joy!  'tis  the  Eleven! 
With  Peter  first;  how  eagerly  he  looks! 
How  bright  the  smiles  are  beaming  on  James'  face! 
To  gather  round  the  Pascal  feast. 

"My  place 
Is  next  my  Master— Oh!  My  Lord!  My  Lord! 
How  bright  Thou  art,  and  yet  the  very  same 
I  loved  in  Galilee!    'Tis  worth  the  hundred  years 
To  feel  this  bliss!     So  lift  me  up,  dear  Lord, 
Unto  Thy  bosom.    There  shall  I  abide." 

And  there,  in  the  place  next  our  Lord,  in  the  secret  of 
His  presence  shall  we,  too,  abide? 


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